Students’ perceptions on different sources of self-feedback

ABSTRACT

Feedback is crucial for improving student learning. In this regard, overcoming the transmissive conception of feedback in favour of its dialogic function introduces new reflections concerning the internal generative feedback process. In this regard, Nicol [(2020). The power of internal feedback: Exploiting natural comparator processes. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(5), 756–778. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1823314; (2021). Guiding learning by activating students’ inner feedback. Times Higher Education] outlines the concept of self-feedback, i.e., the continuous comparative process that students produce from various external information and sources triggering internal feedback. In this context, the present research aims to explore students’ perceptions concerning the activation of internal/self-feedback, investigating which sources are most effective from their point of view, and researching the relationships between different individual characteristics. The results show that students’ individual differences and contextual cultural factors might play a crucial role in creating ideal environments to enable the generation of self-feedback. Finally, students consider the teacher to be most effective in activating self-feedback, and many have never experienced self-feedback or automated feedback situations.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-feedback
• automated feedback
• student
• university

Acknowledgements

The research proposed in this article was conducted by the four authors together. The writing of the article follows the following assignments: Grion: research conceptualisation and supervision of methodological implementation, writing. Raffaghelli: methodological approach and data analysis, reporting, writing. Doria: investigation, investigation, data management, writing, editing. Serbati: theoretical background, final review.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Valentina Grion

Valentina Grion is Associate Professor (M/PED04) at the University of Padua, Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology. Her research interests include feedback and assessment in educational contexts, use of educational technologies and the role of students in teaching/learning processes. Since the beginning of her career, one of her main commitments has been to establish international research relationships: she has been an Academic Visitor at the University of Cergy Pontoise (FR), Cambridge (UK), Northampton, Napier University in Edinburgh and Boowling Green State University. Regarding the main line of research, that of assessment, she has collaborations with some of the world's leading scholars, including David Nicol and Anastasiya Lipnevich.

Juliana Raffaghelli

Juliana Raffaghelli is a tenured researcher in the field of Educational Research at the Department of Philosophy, Sociology Pedagogy and Applied Psychology of the University of Padua. Previous researcher at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Spain), at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. She has covered roles in research, coordination of international and European projects, Learning Design and teaching at the University of Florence, the University of Trento, the Institute for Educational Technologies (Italian National Research Council). Her research interests focus on professional development for the use of technologies in teaching and diversified work contexts, with a strong presence of international/global collaboration; Open Education and Science; and critical literacy for the use of technologies, with particular reference to Big and Open Data issues.

Beatrice Doria

Beatrice Doria is a PhD student at the University of Padua, Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology. She is currently carrying out her PhD project on the promotion of alternative assessment practices within the university context, with a focus on the professional development of teachers and their assessment skills. Regarding the main line of research, that of assessment, she has collaborations with some of the world's leading scholars including David Nicol and Anastasya Lipnevich.

Anna Serbati

Anna Serbati is Associate Professor of Experimental Pedagogy at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento. She is a member of the University's Quality Presidium and of FormID, Centre of Competence for Teacher Training and Teaching Innovation. He is a senior fellow of the UK Advance HE and associate editor of the International Journal for Academic Development.