The supremacy of feedbacks: 3 effects of regular feedbacks on students’ progress Unveiling the significance of regular feedback positive and negative ones in student development

Rawan Essam 

Feedback is a cornerstone of effective teaching and learning, serving as a powerful tool for guiding student development and enhancing academic performance. It is defined as information provided to learners about their performance or understanding.

Feedback plays a crucial role during the student learning process. It helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses, know their academic rank, overcome obstacles, increase their motivation for learning,  and elevate their confidence and self-efficacy. 

 

Improved psychological learning outcomes

  

Positive feedback can enhance students' confidence toward the challenges that they face during the learning process. It can improve their academic performance without making them feel anxious about making mistakes. A  study reports that women who received positive feedback in STEM domanis reported greater confidence, belonging, and self-efficacy and expressed more interest in the subjects than those who received objective feedback.

It is proven that positive and negative feedback reduce student uncertainty by addressing errors with positive feedback. The study showcases students who got negative and positive feedback and learned at twice the speed, unlike the students who got only negative feedback. It demonstrates that positive feedback impacts students' psychological learning outcomes by avoiding uncertainty and hesitation.

 

Improved physical learning outcomes 

It facilitates skill acquisition and mastery by providing students with information about their strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to develop behaviors and refine their skills further. By emphasizing correct movements, techniques, or strategies, positive feedback helps students internalize correct motor patterns and develop memory muscle, leading to skill acquisition and mastery over time. 

It also guarantees promotion and long term participation in physical activities. The more the students got good feedback, the more likely they were to develop a lifelong appreciation for physical activity and maintain an active lifestyle. It is quite evident in a study that proves the group receiving positive feedback showcases higher learning of the basketball free throw, unlike the group that received only veridical feedback. It demonstrates that positive feedback is more effective in learning a sports skill. 

 

Increased motivation and engagement 

Feedback has a positive effect on students' motivation for learning and engagement in classes. In a study involving 362 Australian students, it was discovered that personal best goal setting played a mediating role in the connection between teacher feedback and academic achievement. Students who received feedback exhibited increased motivation and engagement levels. Similarly, in a separate study with 746 students aged 16–18, feedback beliefs, encompassing factors like self-efficacy, utility, accountability, and willingness to act on feedback, were identified as mediators in the relationship between personality traits, achievement goal orientation, and students' utilization of feedback. Therefore, feedback helps to enhance students' development on academic, personal, and psychological levels.

 

 

To conclude, tutors must take positive feedback into consideration because of its beneficial effects on students.  They have to be aware that giving critical feedback will deepen students’ sense of self-efficacy and confidence.  Educators have to contribute to enhancing the academic achievement of their students to achieve better learning outcomes.