Rather to receive praise than criticism? Understanding students’ perceptions of feedback valences in academic writing

ABSTRACT

Praise and criticism have long been reported as central feedback designs in academic writing, yet their relative influences on students’ reception have not been fully investigated. This study employed six feedback statements (2 valences * 3 writing areas) and collected students’ (N = 56) ratings of each statement’s perceived comprehension and usefulness. The results showed that while both feedback valences were well understood, praise was rated significantly higher than criticism in usefulness, especially for the abstract dimension of reasoning. The students also claimed that praise not only boosted motivation but also facilitated efforts to internalise and transfer the feedback knowledge. Suggestions were formulated to harness such emotional and cognitive advantages of praise in feedback design and academic writing pedagogy.

KEYWORDS:

• Praise
• criticism
• academic writing
• feedback perceptions

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wei Su

Wei Sua is full professor at Xiamen University, China. He received his PhD in Translation and Interpreting in 2011, and published articles in journals like Language and Education, Language Awareness, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, and The Interpreter and Translator Trainer. His main research interests include feedback and assessment of English learning.

Axian Huang

Axian Huang is lecturer in Xiamen University Tan Kah Kee College, Zhangzhou, China. Her main research interests include assessment and teaching of English writing.