Discussion 128

This study revealed nine themes which represent the experiences of the students I interviewed. The data gathered and the subsequent analysis appears to suggest a number of areas which require further research. Student reactions to feedback have been identified as a complex issue within the literature and many chapters of this thesis thus far. The results from this particular study seem to corroborate with this. Students’ reactions to feedback can be seen to be explained by multiple constructs. This is particularly changeable if one considers the differing ways in which students are receiving feedback messages from lecturers. For example it appears that in the main the students’ motivation can be affected in both a positive and negative manner by the feedback received, such findings align with those previously suggested by Pintrich (2000). However what seems to be apparent across all the participants is that positive feedback improves a student’s assessment related motivation. This has important implications for future research as understanding why the positive feedback has such a universally positive effect upon assessment related behaviours could shape how feedback is constructed by academic staff. This appears to be particularly significant if one considers the postulates of Carver & Scheier (1981) who suggest that failure results in increased motivation to a greater degree than success. The findings in the present study seem to suggest quite the opposite and as such this poses an interesting line of enquiry moving forward into study two. Given that the primary research question for this thesis relates to students’ appraisal, comprehension and subsequent utilisation the effect that grades have upon students’ processing of feedback is very interesting and may therefore provide insight relating to motivational changes the student experiences.

The dichotomous nature of the interviewees’ responses, with respect to the importance of grades indicates that for those writing feedback, the grade being given, could predict how the feedback will be interpreted by the student. Furthermore the students’ predetermined grade expectations also seem to affect their subsequent processing of feedback. Whilst previous literature does report the fact that students are grade focused it does not appear to indicate the nature of this focus. The present study has reported that students were holding a pre-determined grade expectation which appeared to mediate their subsequent processing of feedback. Given that previous literature has reported that some students are only concerned with the grade outcome rather than any improvement in the next assessment related feedback (MacDonald, 1991; Mutch, 2003; Orsmond, Merry, & Reiling, 2005; Carless, 2006; Weaver, 2006) this could perhaps explain the reason why they chose to not utilise the feedback. The effect that grades has upon the student is therefore an area which needs to be explored further in study two as early indications based upon the findings within this study suggest a mitigating role.

The data within study one also appears to suggest that emotional maturity underpins the processing of grades, coupled with a student’s pre-conceived concept of what constitutes a good grade or a bad grade for them internally. This is a very complex relationship and although inferred in this study, it does require further research to understand firstly what impact the pre-determined conception of achievement level has upon the student’s feedback processing capability. Secondly, the concept of emotional maturity or the ability to control one’s own emotions in times of disappointment also needs to be factored into any potential understanding. The students within this study seem to be at differing levels of emotional maturity and some reported adaptive skills but in the main many reported maladaptive behaviour when things did not go well for them. This is particularly interesting given all the students were in their third year as undergraduates. The findings within this study support the notion that, as Rowe (2011) has suggested; in feedback situations in particular a student can experience positive feelings such as appreciation, gratitude, happiness and even pride.

However, equally such situations can produce negative emotional reactions such as anger, frustration and fear. More interestingly my findings corroborate with Boud & Falchikov’s (2007) suggestion that students’ cognitive processing could be impaired by their emotions. In this regard this seems very apparent with regard to feedback cognitions in particular. The role that emotions play within this complex situation needs to be further explored in study two, especially with regard to the impact that emotional processing has upon the students’ ability to process, comprehend and utilise feedback. What initially seems to be merging from this study’s findings is an interaction between grade expectation and emotional maturity.

Finally, this study also suggested that the lecturer is an extremely important factor to consider if we are to understand how the students will process feedback. The students reported differing experiences of utilising the lecturer and as suggested earlier in this section; interactions between emotional processing, grade achievement level and motivation all appear to affect the student’s subsequent utilisation of the lecturer. This is particularly important to understand as the lecturer is not only the one giving the initial feedback but also the person who can offer further feedback, clarify misconceptions and ultimately change the student perception (whether that be positive or negative). The data gathered from the interviews in this study helped shape my understanding of the previously read literature. In particular these findings seem to have implications for practice in particular, especially if one considers more recent developments within feedback literature which suggest that more interaction between lecturer and student through dialogic feedback episodes should occur (Carless et al , 2011; Nicol, 2010, 2013).

This study also highlighted the complex and interrelatedness of constructs within the assessment and feedback realm. However this study was carried out with a small sample and in the main the interview was restricted to pre-determined questions that I had constructed relating to the literature. Further the material on which the interview was based was determined by the work that the student brought with them. In order to perhaps more fully explore the constructs I have

detailed here alongside others which may be apparent in such a population, a more detailed and thorough study is needed. It is apparent that such a study would need to view the student experience of this phenomenon through their eyes. As such, as the researcher I would need to take a step back and allow the students to articulate their experience by utilising a reflective process which encompassed their entire experience and not just the feedback on two pieces of assessed work.

4.

Chapter Four: Study two. An in-depth interview study