Designing Curriculum for Student Feedback Literacy: Student Appreciation for and Engagement with Teacher Feedback

Abstract

Recent research has argued for curriculum design that promotes student feedback literacy, taking focus away from the quality and timeliness of teacher comments and toward student engagement with feedback. There is little empirical research, however, on how specific curriculum designs impact student feedback literacy. Our study found that an assignment sequence that allowed students to receive feedback from teacher comments and a consultation during the drafting process helped students to appreciate and engage with feedback, cultivating a primary trait of feedback literacy. Focus group discussions with students revealed that feedback was appreciated when it was personalized and strategically timed. We also found that feedback during the drafting process fostered an understanding of writing as a process. As students grappled with how to evaluate and utilize teacher feedback, they practiced self-regulation and took ownership of their writing, a trait that we add to the current framework for student feedback literacy. Moreover, our findings indicate that teacher feedback literacy is of equal importance to student feedback literacy, as student appreciation for feedback declined when comments focused only on lower-order issues. As this study took place in a first-year academic writing course, we conclude that such courses have the potential to offer students a foundation in student feedback literacy that they can carry with them into their academic careers.