Working with feedback on written texts in the English classroom: students’ motivation, perceptions and response

Abstract

This study is about teachers’ feedback on lower secondary school students’ writing and how students respond to it. More specific, it investigates how students’ motivation influences how they treat feedback, what the students do with the feedback and their awareness regarding using feedback to enhance their learning and writing skills in the English subject. Previous research claims that feedback may be one of the most important factors in enhancing students’ learning. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide insight into how students experience feedback regarding their motivation, what they do with the feedback and their consciousness towards the use of it.

This is a qualitative research study which employs five individual semi-structured interviews to examine students’ own experiences when receiving feedback. The study was carried out with participants in a 10th grade class in a city in Norway. The purpose of choosing this group of students is to expand research of this topic among this age group; there is a limited amount of related existing literature.

The findings of this study suggest that the students lack clear instructions and information on how to use the feedback after they receive it. Students expressed feelings that their teacher takes it for granted that they know how to implement feedback once it has been given. Additionally, students experienced being somewhat motivated to use feedback to improve their work and enhance their writing skills.

The implications of this study suggest that students’ learning could be enhanced by teachers spending more time explaining and teaching students how they can get the most out of the feedback they receive and how to implement it. Increased communication between the teacher and students about how to use the feedback, as well as what type of feedback the students prefer to receive would also be beneficial.