If feedback is so important, why do many pupils ignore it?
When the EEF asked this question, 69% of secondary and 47% of primary teachers that responded cited ‘lack of motivation’. In more detailed interviews with some teachers, they ‘tended to attribute a lack of engagement to problems with the feedback itself’. (Elliott et al., 2020).
Winstone et al (2017) use the term ‘proactive recipience’ to describe the ideal condition of engaging actively with feedback processes. They go on to say:
It is important to note that apportioning greater weight to learners’ role in the feedback process does not imply relieving educators of responsibility. Rather, if we wish to involve learners more in the feedback process, then it is useful to consider how educators might promote this involvement.”
So let’s explore how we might do this.
Self-determination theory
Deci and Ryan (2000) argue that motivation is strengthened when three psychological needs are met:
autonomy: feeling a sense of choice and ownership
competence: feeling capable and successful
relatedness: feeling connected to others and part of a community
We could use this as a lens to consider our feedback
Autonomy: does the feedback help pupils feel they have some agency over their next step, rather than simply feeling corrected?
Competence: does the feedback make improvement feel within reach?
Relatedness: does the feedback come from a relationship where the pupil feels known and supported?
‘I’ve done the work – it’s over’
49% of teachers in the survey shared that pupils did not respond to feedback because things were ‘done’. Winstone et al (2016) hypothesise that the ‘modularisation’ of education may feed into this. We work in units, schemes, terms etc.
Maybe there’s a problem in that we feed back, rather than forward. So we need to emphasise how feedback has utility for the future.
Some feedback is focused on the task itself. In these cases, timing may be particularly important. Feedback given during a task can feel immediately useful, when afterwards it might feel like a post-mortem. Even when feedback comes after completion, we can make explicit its future relevance. Yes, this essay on ambition in Macbeth may be finished, but it is not the last essay a pupil will write, nor the last time they will analyse Shakespeare.
We can also give feedback on the processes that underpin successful performance in a subject. It takes the emphasis from the task to strategies and approaches that can be applied more widely. For example, after a reading lesson, a teacher might focus feedback on how a pupil used clues from the text to work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. That process will be valuable whenever they encounter new vocabulary in future reading.
Feedback on self-regulation can extend this even further. Although a task may be complete, pupils can still learn from reflecting on how they planned, monitored and evaluated their work. The EEF Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning guidance report provides a useful example of self-regulation feedback in practice:
A psychology student has submitted an essay which is of a much poorer quality than their previous attempt. The teacher asks them to consider: ‘Thinking about your preparation, and with reference to the assessment objectives, what three things did you do differently this time which has resulted in a poorer outcome?’ Once these are identified, the pupil will be asked to remedy these shortcomings in a redrafted essay.
Proactive recipience
The EEF share ways that a teacher might prepare pupils for receiving feedback willingly.
Discussing the purpose of feedback, particularly the idea that feedback is provided because the teacher believes they can develop further. It’s not simply criticism.
Modelling the use of feedback. Sharing and celebrating ways in which peers have improved. There is also something positive about the teacher welcoming feedback and responding themselves.
Providing clear, concise, and focused feedback.
Ensuring pupils understand the feedback given. There could be issues with language or even with teachers’ handwriting.
Motivation is shaped by how feedback is experienced. It also interacts with other aspects. We will explore these in the next blogs in this series.
Elliott, V et al (2020), Feedback in Action: A review of practice in English schools, Department of Education, University of Oxford, Education Endowment Foundation.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist,55(1), 68 – 78.
Winstone, E, Nash, R, Parker, M & Rowntree, J, (2017) Supporting Learners’ Agentic Engagement With Feedback: A Systematic Review and a Taxonomy of Recipience Processes, Educational Psychologist, 52:1, 17 – 372017.
