Learner feedback seeking: prospects and challenges

1. Learner feedback seeking:
prospects and challenges
David Carless,
University of Hong Kong,
@CarlessDavid
AHE Manchester, 22 June, 2023
#aheconference2023
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2. Overview
• Feedback seeking rationales, concepts
• Linkages to feedback literacy
• Key issues, challenges
• Implications & future directions
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3. WORK UNDER REVIEW
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4. Ongoing research 1
Review of empirical research on feedback
seeking in undergraduate education
-Scoping review (42 articles)
-Expert group
(Leenknecht & Carless, under review)
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5. Ongoing research 2
Longitudinal collaboration with a single feedback
seeking undergraduate
- Transcripts of feedback seeking interactions
- Stephanie’s reflective journal
(Carless & Young, under review)
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6. FEEDBACK SEEKING
CONCEPTS
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7. Defining feedback seeking
Individuals’ proactive search for evaluative
information about their performance (De
Stobbeleir et al. 2011)
Purposely seeking information about one’s
own level of performance, interpreting it and
applying it (Anseel et al. 2015)
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8. Cost-value trade-off
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Cost Value
Exposing uncertainty
Improve performance
Ego threats
Positive impression
Effort
Higher grades

9. 3 sets of motives
Learning (uncertainty reduction)
Impression management (external)
Ego-building (introspective) – self-image
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10. Achievement goal theory
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Learning goals Performance goals
Develop competence Demonstrate competence
Feedback as diagnosis Feedback as judgment

11. ACADEMIC FEEDBACK SEEKING
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12. Academic feedback literacy: sharing
1. Share some useful feedback you received
2. Share a feedback seeking episode
3. Share some feedback you acted upon
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13. Academic feedback seeking
Creating & taking advantage of opportunities
Overcoming ego/image-based concerns
Inviting alternative critical perspectives
Feedback literacy for academics (Gravett et
al. 2022)
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14. Academic feedback literacy: reflection
When and from whom do you seek feedback on
your academic work?
Why don’t you seek more feedback from critical
experts?
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15. Feedback seeking & generative AI
Analyze through the conceptual framework of …
Critically evaluate the following definition …
Dialogue …
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16. REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
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17. Feedback seeking & achievement
Feedback seekers generally outperformed
non-feedback seekers (Tacoma et al. 2020)
High performers seek more feedback
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18. Medical education
14/42 articles in medical education
Workshops encouraging feedback seeking
(Milan et al. 2011)
Student strategies to stimulate feedback in
clinical clerkships (Bing-You et al. 2018).
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19. Self-assessment & feedback seeking
Self-assessment encompasses feedback seeking
Self-directed feedback seeking
Self-reflection (Yan & Brown, 2017)
And … feedback literacy (Yan & Carless, 2022)
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20. Feedback seeking & feedback literacy
Eliciting as part of feedback literacy vs
Feedback literacy as precursor for feedback seeking
Interdependent & mutually reinforcing
(Leenknecht & Carless, fingers crossed)
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21. COLLABORATION WITH
STEPHANIE
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22. Clarifying expectations orally
• Student plans/drafts assignment
• Student liaises with teacher
• Feedback encounter to clarify expectations
• Student revises draft
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23. Stephanie’s motives
• To build a positive relationship
• To get to know expectations
• To confirm appropriacy of topic & argument
• Sense of reassurance
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24. Transcript analysis
Sociocultural discourse analysis (Mercer) of
four feedback encounters over two years
Interthinking; Cumulative and exploratory talk
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25. FEEDBACK SEEKING, REFLECTION
& FEEDBACK LITERACY
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26. Reflection & feedback seeking
Reflection in formulating an inquiry
Reflecting again on receipt of a response
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27. Reflection
Prompting students to reflect stimulates
feedback literacy (Carless, 2020)
Enhancing preparation & management of
feedback encounters aids feedback literacy
(Carless & Young)
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28. Brainstorming
How might teachers promote students’
reflection around feedback?
What are the challenges & how might they
be overcome?
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29. Feedback + reflection
Facilitate reflection via opportunities to share,
discuss and analyse feedback
(Carless & Young, under review)
Reflection in Engineering education (Coppens et
al., 2023)
Interventions to promote reflection (Harris et al.
2022)
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30. Previous literature
1. What do I feel about this feedback?
2. What do I think about this feedback?
3. What future enhancements could I enact?
Adapted from Quinton & Smallbone (2010)
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31. Implications
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32. Recommendations
Embed feedback seeking (early) within the
curriculum (program-wide feedback)
Develop relational climates for feedback
seeking
Encourage reflection & share own feedback
(seeking) experiences
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33. Future R & D
Evidence of benefits & uptake of feedback seeking
Integrating parallel literatures: organizations,
medical education, HE (cf. Joughin et al. 2021)
Feedback seeking beyond teachers …
Gen AI + feedback seeking
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34. References
Anseel, F., Beatty, A. S., Shen, W., Lievens, F., & Sackett, P. R. (2015). How are we doing after 30 years? A meta-
analytic review of the antecedents and outcomes of feedback-seeking behavior. Journal of Management, 41(1), 318-
348.
Carless, D. (2020). Longitudinal perspectives on students’ experiences of feedback: A need for teacher-student
partnerships. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(3), 425-438. doi:10.1080/07294360.2019.1684455
Carless, D. & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: Enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment
& Evaluation in Higher Education doi:10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354
De Stobbeleir, K., Ashford, S. & Buyens, D. (2011). Self-regulation of creativity at work: The role of feedback seeking
behavior in creative performance. Academy of Management Journal, 54(4), 811-831.
Gravett, K., Kinchin, I., Winstone, N., Balloo, K., Heron, M., Hosein, A., Lygo-Baker, S. and Medland, E. (2020). The
development of academics’ feedback literacy: Experiences of learning from critical feedback via scholarly peer
review, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 45:5, 651-665.
Harris, R., Blundell-Birtill, P., & Pownall, M. (2022) Development and evaluation of two interventions to improve students’
reflection on feedback, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2022.2107999
Joughin, G., Boud, D., Dawson, P. and Tai, J. (2021). What can higher education learn from feedback seeking behaviour
in organisations? Implications for feedback literacy. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(1), 80-91.
Leenknecht, M., Hompus, P., & Van der Schaaf, M. (2019). Feedback seeking behaviour in higher education: the
association with students’ goal orientation and deep learning approach. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher
Education, 44, 1069-1078.
Malecka, B., Boud, D., & Carless, D. (2022). Eliciting, processing and enacting feedback: Mechanisms for embedding
feedback literacy within the curriculum. Teaching in Higher Education. 27(7), 908-922.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1754784
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35. References (continued)
Mercer, N. (2004). Sociocultural discourse analysis: Analysing classroom talk as a social mode of thinking. Journal of
Applied Linguistics, 1(2), 137-168.
Milan, F. B., Dyche, L., & Fletcher, J. (2011). “How am I doing?” Teaching medical students to elicit feedback during their
clerkships. Medical Teacher, 33(11), 904-910.
Molloy, E., & Bearman, M. (2019). Embracing the tension between vulnerability and credibility: ‘Intellectual candour’ in
health professions education. Medical Education, 53, 32-41.
Molloy, E., Boud, D., & Henderson, M. (2020). Developing a learning-centred framework for feedback literacy.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(4), 527-540.
Papi et al. (2020). Feedback seeking behaviors in second language writing: motivational mechanisms. Reading and
Writing, 33, 485-505.
Quinton, S. & Smallbone, T. (2010). Feeding forward: Using feedback to promote student reflection and learning – a
teaching model. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47(1), 125-135.
Tacoma, S., Geurts, C., Slof, B., Jeuring, J., & Drijvers, P. (2020) Enhancing learning with inspectable student models:
Worth the effort? Computers in Human Behavior, 107, 106276. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106276
Wanberg, C. R., & Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D. (2000). Predictors and outcomes of proactivity in the socialization
process. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(3), 373–385.
Wang, Y., Mei, J., & Zhu, Y. (2017). Linking psychological capital and feedback-seeking behavior: Feedback cognition as
a mediator. Social Behavior and Personality, 45(7), 1099-1112.
Yan, Z., & Brown, G. T. L. (2017). A cyclical self-assessment process: Towards a model of how students engage in self-
assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(8), 1247-1262.
Yan, Z. & Carless, D. (2022). Self-assessment is about more than self: The enabling role of feedback literacy.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(7), 1116-1128. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.2001431
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36. THANK YOU
QUESTIONS
COMMENTS
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37. Student barriers
Those who most need it, avoid it
Worried about exposing weaknesses
Fear of being judged
Procrastination
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38. Stephanie’s thoughts
Seeking feedback builds rapport and I can
generate more ideas about my assignments
from my teacher's thoughts.
It gives me more motivation for my
assignment, since I would want to impress
someone that I have interacted with
(Year 2)
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39. Ongoing research 3
What are the variations in how students
perceive the cost-value of feedback seeking?
(Young & Carless, in progress)
Stephanie’s final year dissertation using a
phenomenographic approach
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40. Categories of feedback seeking
1: Feedback seeking as unnecessary
2: as last resort
3: to manage impressions
4: to meet teachers’ expectations
5: for learning
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41. Feedback seeking: pros
• Bring partnership into feedback processes
• May reduce emotional discomfort
• Encourage uptake
Teacher workloads?
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42. Facilitators of feedback seeking
Teacher: credible, supportive, approachable
Learner: openness, resilience, diligence ….
Context: learning culture, timing &
opportunities
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43. Characteristics of feedback seekers
High expectations (Wanberg & Kammeyer-
Mueller, 2000)
Self-efficacy (Wang et al. 2017)
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44. Mindsets
Growth mindset promotes feedback seeking
(Papi et al. 2020)
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45. Teacher barriers
• Time, motivation
• Equity & fairness
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46. Institutional
Weak relationships
Impersonal culture
Resourcing
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47. Learning cultures for feedback
Trust,
Open and constructive,
Honest yet supportive
Feedback friendly culture
(Leenknecht et al. 2019)
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48. Modelling feedback seeking
Modelling: revealing expert thinking
Sharing experiences of feedback seeking,
benefits, challenges and emotional aspects
Cf intellectual candour: building trust by
embracing tensions between vulnerability &
credibility (Molloy & Bearman, 2019).
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49. Encouraging feedback seeking
Teasing out criteria & quality
Enabling timely feedback seeking
Creating supportive learning climates
Modelling & sharing experiences
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50. Solicited vs unsolicited feedback
Unsolicited feedback can be off-putting or fail
to address needs
Loss of control
Emotional disequilibrium
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51. The University of Hong Kong