An Empirical Investigation of Feedback Sequencing on Emotion Regulation Processes

The effects of receiving feedback on course assessments have emotional implications for students (e.g., Ryan & Henderson, 2018) that extend to motivation and behavior (Boud & Falchilvov, 2007). Receiving negative feedback, then, may have harmful effects on students’ emotions, motivation, and performance. A way in which students’ emotions may be regulated is through employing the “feedback sandwich” (Dohrenwent, 2002). The method focuses on variability in feedback ordering, and specifically holds that “sandwiching” constructive feedback in between two positive statements is the most effective way to deliver negative feedback to students. While widely discussed in the popular press, there exists little empirical research on the effectiveness of method, and to date, only one study has examined the effects of the feedback sandwich on emotion regulation. This study presents an empirical test of the effects of feedback sequencing on emotion regulation. Results indicate that the sandwich method did not have an effect on either positive or negative emotion. Results are discussed in light of their theoretical and applied implications for feedback sequencing.