Theme: Understanding Feedback

Within this theme, the following data has been collated: student views regarding whether they understood the verbal and written feedback provided to them. This has been gained from the Year 8 survey, English/Law survey, Year 10 survey, interviews with students and with the DHT (Annie).

A comparison of the responses by students in the Year 8 survey to the questions about whether written and verbal feedback was explained clearly and whether feedback, overall, was easy to understand is provided in the table below.

Percent of students who said ‘all’ or ‘most’ of the time n=~152 Subject Written Verbal Feedback is easy to understand

Maths 46% 51% 67%

English 70% 65% 69%

Science 36% 39% 42%

Geography 50% 45% 58%

History 47% 47% 54%

French 49% 46% 51%

Technology 34% 41% 47%

Art 55% 50% 61%

Table 10: Year 8 Survey: Student responses to ‘Is [written/verbal] feedback explained to you?’ and ‘Is feedback easy to understand?’

The data in this table presents an overview of student perceptions. It does not take into account the frequency that the types of feedback were provided. The final column of Table 10 indicates that despite an apparent low frequency of feedback being explained, students were slightly more inclined to say they understood their feedback ‘all’ or ‘most’

of the time. In the English/Law survey (Table 11), students in all the year groups stated verbal feedback was explained more often than written feedback, although they believed verbal feedback occurred less regularly than written (Charts 6 and 9). There was no particular difference in the pattern of responses for the Law students compared to the English.

Percent of students who said ‘all’ or ‘most’ of the time

Year Written Verbal Feedback is easy to understand

7 n=28 43% 82% 82% KS3

8 n=24 29% 46% 84%

9 n=23 61% 65% 83%

10 n=36 58% 64% 97% KS4

10 (Law) n=21 53% 57% 90%

11 (Law) n=26 69% 77% 96%

Table 11: English/Law Survey: Student responses to ‘Is [written/verbal] feedback explained clearly to you?’ and ‘Is feedback easy to understand?’

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Year 7 and year 8 students stated verbal feedback was explained clearly more than written feedback was ‘all’ or ‘most’ of the time. The responses across the other years with respect to the explanation of written and verbal feedback were similar. Despite the variations in responses, a high proportion of students stated feedback was easy to understand. This increased slightly from KS3 from KS4.

In the interviews with the English students (Appendix 11), the frequency and depth of feedback was explored. The year 10 females wanted instant feedback more regularly, whilst the male year 10 students were clear they wanted detailed comments less often.

The year 7 females gave a similar preference to the males, preferring feedback less often as they felt regular feedback in class was often rushed and unclear, although this is not represented in Table 11. The students said more detailed feedback less often allowed them to make improvements, so it was more useful. When these students were asked what they did if they did not understand feedback, the two males said they would ask the teacher whilst the year 10 females said they would either ask someone else or the teacher. One girl added she might ask someone else to explain it adding when you explain feedback to someone else, it ‘makes you think about your own feedback’. The year 7 females said they would try to work the feedback out for themselves and then ask the teacher if they were still not sure. If the teacher was busy, they would ask each other, but this was only occasionally.

A change of student perception from the Year 8 survey to the Year 10 survey with regards to student understanding of feedback indicated there was a reduction in Maths, but an increase in Science and Geography from year 8 to year 10. For the remaining subjects, the views remained reasonably consistent, not following the increase from KS3 to KS4 noted in the English/Law survey. The Year 8 and Year 10 survey data has been captured in Table 12 below.

Feedback is easy to understand

‘All’ or ‘most’ of the time Year 8

n=~152 Year 10

n=~83

Maths 67% 50%

English 69% 69%

Science 42% 69%

Geography 58% 83%

History 54% 60%

French 51% 56%

Technology 47% 55%

Art 61% 66%

Table 12: A comparison of Year 8 and Year 10 Surveys: Student responses to ‘Is your feedback easy to understand?’

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The views of males and females in year 10 were similar, with 63% of females stating it was easy to understand ‘all’ or ‘most’ of the time, and 64% of males stating this

(Appendix 16B).

In the second interview with the Art students (Appendix 9), a student said that after the changes Katie had introduced, the feedback was ‘easier to understand, it is clearer to see what you have done well and then it makes you happier’. The view that feedback in Art was easier to understand in KS4 more than in KS3 was not evident in Table 12. This student’s enthusiasm for the changes may have been a result of her involvement in the project, or a preference for the subject.

Examining the year 10 data for Geography, Annie noted the students reported a positive picture in relation to understanding feedback and whether it helped them to improve their work (Table 12 and Table 16: section 5.4). She explained the Geography

department were proactive in designing their own assessments of student learning in KS4, rather than using past GSCE papers.

The changes in student perception in Maths from year 8 to year 10 were also noted.

Annie explained the Head of Maths put a lot of emphasis on using past test papers, she reflected this was probably not a good strategy as it focused the students on grades. She also explained there had been a change in the Maths teaching team, which she thought may have resulted in a less positive experience for the students. She reflected the decrease in the value students placed on their feedback in Maths from year 8 to year 10 could be a result of this. Annie explained there was an established teaching team in Science, particularly in KS4, which she reflected probably provided students with a better experience than in KS3. She added new Science staff in the school improved the student experience overall.

In this theme, it has been established that students did not always appear to need an explanation of the feedback in order for them to understand it. Verbal feedback was explained more clearly by Kirstie than written was, but overall, a high proportion of students understood her feedback. The content of feedback determined how useful it was to students, which could be influenced by how often it was provided. Students’

understanding of feedback in the subjects from year 8 to year 10 varied. In some subjects this increased, in some it decreased but for most it remained similar.

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