Reading and writing feedback perceptions among multilingual and monolingual learners across K-20 contexts: A systematic review

Abstract

Background

To become proficient readers and writers, both multilingual and monolingual learners must engage with feedback – a precursor to learning and motivational outcomes. Given the importance of feedback to effective literacy learning, students’ perceptions of literacy feedback are critical factors in feedback uptake. However, it is unclear how students perceive literacy feedback.

Aims

We synthesized students’ perceptions of feedback in reading and writing domains across kindergarten through higher education among both monolingual and multilingual learners.

Methods

We systematically reviewed 138 empirical reports.

Results

We present descriptive characteristics, common conceptualizations and operationalizations of feedback perceptions, and themes across feedback perceptions results. Finally, we discuss how students’ literacy feedback perceptions compare to research-based practices for providing literacy feedback, how feedback perceptions may fit into existing literacy and feedback theoretical frameworks, and how student identities, particularly those of multilingual learners, play a role in student feedback perceptions.

Conclusions

The extant K-20 reading and writing feedback perceptions literature rarely conceptualize the construct in a clear manner. Additionally, students' feedback perceptions become more negative and critical as they progress through school. Lastly, students – especially multilingual learners – held positive perceptions of written, audio, and video formats of feedback that were provided by their instructor.