Abstract
Teacher-student interactions are fundamental to learning outcomes. However, the facilitation of student-defined, in-class two-way feedback interaction is under-researched. The purpose of this paper is to share insights from Year 9 students (N = 32; age = 14–15 years), describing effective teacher’s two-way feedback interaction through Respectful Inquiry (RI; asking questions, question openness, and attentive listening). Small-focussed group interviews were conducted and transcripts were inductively analysed to represent the conceptualised effective student-described teacher behaviour and associated learning outcomes. Findings confirm that two-way feedback, as opposed to unilateral teacher feedback, is facilitative of more diverse and higher-order learning outcomes. According to the students, RI is constitutive in the two-way feedback interaction process; executed together, positive psychological needs support and metacognition are fostered. While this research was exploratory, the findings offer practical and novel insights on teachers’ two-way feedback interactions that can enhance students’ metacognition and suggests how specific feedback behaviours augment higher-order learning outcomes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ajjawi, R., & Boud, D. (2017). Researching feedback dialogue: An interactional analysis approach. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 252–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1102863.
Allen, M., Witt, P. L., & Wheeless, L. R. (2006). The role of teacher immediacy as a motivational factor in student learning: Using meta-analysis to test a causal model. Communication Education, 55, 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520500343368.
Andersen, J. F. (1979). Teacher immediacy as a predictor of teaching effectiveness. Annals of the International Communication Association, 3(1), 543–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.1979.11923782.
Baird, J. R. (Ed.). (1990). Metacognition, purposeful enquiry and conceptual change. London: Routledge.
Bay, D. N., & Alisinanoğlu, F. (2013). The effect of teaching questioning skills given to preschool teachers on structure of teachers’ questions. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 6(1), 1–39.
Berliner, D. (2004). Describing the behaviour and documenting the accomplishments of expert teachers. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 24, 200–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467604265535.
Blair, A., Wyburn-Powell, A., Goodwin, M., & Shields, S. (2014). Can dialogue help to improve feedback on examinations? Studies in Higher Education, 39(6), 1039–1054. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.777404.
Blatchford, I., & Mani, L. (2008). Would you like to tidy up now?’ An analysis of adult questioning in the English foundation stage. Early Years, 28(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575140701842213.
Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2013). Rethinking models of feedback for learning: The challenge of design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), 698–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2012.691462.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Burnett, P. C., & Mandel, V. (2010). Praise and feedback in the primary classroom: Teachers’ and students’ perspectives. Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 10, 145–154.
Burns, R. B. (1997). Introduction to research methods (3rd ed.). Boston: Addison Wesley Longman.
Carless, D. (2013). Trust and its role in facilitating dialogic feedback. New York: Routledge.
Carless, D., Salter, D., Yang, M., & Lam, J. (2011). Developing sustainable feedback practices. Studies in Higher Education, 36, 395–407. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075071003642449.
Cavanagh, J. W. (1997). Content analysis: Concepts, methods and applications. Nurse Researcher, 4, 5–16. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.4.3.5.s2.
Chardon, T., Collins, P., Hammer, S., & Hart, C. (2011). Criterion referenced assessment as a form of feedback: Student and staff perceptions in the initial stages of a new law degree. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 6(3), 232–242. https://doi.org/10.5172/ijpl.2011.6.3.232.
Chin, C. (2006). Classroom interaction in Science: Teacher questioning and feedback to student responses. International Journal of Science Education, 28(11), 1315–1346. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690600621100.
Cresswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Davis, H. A. (2003). Conceptualizing the role and influence of student–teacher relationships on children’s social and cognitive development. Educational Psychologist, 38, 207–234. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3804_2.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behaviour. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01.
Döş, B., Bay, E., Aslansoy, C., Tiryaki, B., Çetin, N., & Duman, C. (2016). An analysis of teachers’ questioning strategies. Educational Research and Reviews, 11(22), 2065–2078. https://doi.org/10.5897/ERR2016.3014.
Duijnhower, H. (2010). Feedback effects on students’ writing motivation, process and performance. (Doctoral dissertation), Urecht University, Urecht.
Dunlosky, J., & Metcalfe, J. (2009). Metacognition: A textbook of cognition, educational, life span, and applied psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Elo, S., & Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62, 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x.
Flavell, J. H. (Ed.). (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem solving. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new era of cognitive developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34, 906–911.
Flavell, J. H. (Ed.). (1987). Speculations about the nature and development of metacognition. NJ Erlbaum: Hillsdale.
Fonseca, J., Valente, M., & Conboy, J. (2011). Student characteristics and student science performance: Portugal in cross-national comparison. Procedia Social and Behavioural Sciences, 12, 322–329. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n8.4.
Frymier, A. B. (1994). A model of immediacy in the classroom. Communication Quarterly, 42, 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463379409369922.
Gagné, M. (2003). The role of autonomy support and autonomy orientation in prosocial behaviour engagement. Motivation and Emotion, 27, 199–223.
Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 26, 331–362. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.322.
Gamlem, S. M., & Smith, K. (2013). Student perceptions of classroom feedback. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 20(2), 150–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2012.749212.
Gardner, H. (1991). The unschooled mind. New York: Basic Books.
Goldsmith, M., & Morgan, H. (2004). Leadership is a contact sport: The “follow-up factor” in management development. Strategy and Business, 36, 71–79.
Guay, F., Ratelle, C. F., & Chanal, J. (2008). Optimal learning in optimal contexts: The role of self-determination in education. Canadian Psychology, 49(3), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.2.377.
Guay, F., Vallerand, R. J., & Blanchard, C. (2000). On the assessment of situational intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS). Motivation and Emotion, 24, 175–213. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005614228250.
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903.
Harpaz, Y. (2007). Approaches to teaching thinking: toward a conceptual mapping of the field. Teachers College Record, 109(8), 1845–1874.
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of meta-analyses in education. London: Routledge.
Hattie, J., & Gan, M. (Eds.). (2011). Instruction based on feedback. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77, 81–112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487.
Hawkins, K. W., & Power, C. B. (1999). Gender differences in questions asked during small decision-making discussions. Small Group Research, 30(2), 235–256. https://doi.org/10.1177/104649649903000205.
Jackson, B., Whipp, P. R., Chua, K. P., Dimmock, J. A., & Hagger, M. S. (2013). Students’ tripartite efficacy beliefs in high school physical education: Within-and cross-domain relations with motivational processes and leisure-time physical activity. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 35, 72–84. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.35.1.72.
Jang, H., Reeve, J., & Deci, E. L. (2010). Engaging students in learning activities: it is not autonomy support or structure but autonomy support and structure. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 588–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019682.
Jansen, M., Scherer, R., & Schroeders, U. (2015). Students’ self-concept and self-efficacy in the sciences: Differential relations to antecedents and educational outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41, 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.11.002.
Johnston, J., Halocha, J., & Chater, M. (2007). Developing teaching skills in the primary school. London: Open University Press.
Kearsley, G. P. (1976). Questions and question asking in verbal discourse: A cross disciplinary review. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 5(4), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079934.
Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 254–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.254.
Knight, N. (2003). Teacher feedback to students in numeracy lessons: are students getting good value? Set: Research information for teachers, 3, 40–45.
Kyriakides, L., Christoforou, C., & Charalambous, C. Y. (2013). What matters for student learning outcomes: A meta-analysis of studies exploring factors of effective teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 36, 143–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.07.010.
La Guardia, J. G., Ryan, R. M., Couchman, C. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: A self-determination theory perspective on attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(3), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.79.3367.
Labuhn, A. S., Zimmerman, B. J., & Hasselhorn, M. (2010). Enhancing students’ self-regulation and mathematics performance: the influence of feedback and self-evaluative standards. Metacognition and Learning, 5, 173–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-010-9056-2.
Lee, Y., & Kinzie, M. B. (2012). Teacher question and student response with regard to cognition and language use. Instructional Science, 40, 857–874. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-011-9193-2.
Lee, H. W., Lim, K. Y., & Grabowski, B. L. (2010). Improving self-regulation, learning strategy use, and achievement with metacognitive feedback. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(6), 629–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-010-9153-6.
Lew, M. D. N., Alwis, W. A. M., & Schmidt, H. G. (2010). Accuracy of students’ self-assessment and their beliefs about utility. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35, 135–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930802687737.
Magno, C. (2010). The role of metacognitive skills in developing critical thinking. Metacognition Learning, 5, 137–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-010-9054-4.
Massey, S. L., Pence, K. L., Justice, L. M., & Bowles, R. P. (2008). Educators’ use of cognitively challenging questions in economically disadvantaged preschool classroom contexts. Early Education and Development, 19(2), 340–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280801964119.
Mazer, J. P. (2013). Associations among teacher communication behaviours, student interest, and engagement: A validity test. Communication Education, 62(1), 86–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2012.731513.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. (1990). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Miller, T., & Geraci, L. (2011). Training metacognition in the classroom: the influence of incentives and feedback on exam predictions. Metacognition and Learning, 6(3), 303–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-011-9083-7.
Mulliner, E., & Tucker, M. (2017). Feedback on feedback practice: perceptions of students and academics. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 266–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1103365.
Nett, U. E., Goetz, T., Hall, N., & Frenzel, A. C. (2012). Metacognitive strategies and test performance: An experience sampling analysis of students’ learning behaviour. Education Research International. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/958319.
Nicol, D. (2010). From monologue to dialogue: Improving written feedback processes in mass higher education. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 35, 501–517. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602931003786559.
Nicol, D., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31, 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572090.
Ogu, U., & Schmidt, S. R. (2009). Investigating rocks and sand. Young Children, 64(1), 12–18.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Pitt, E., & Norton, L. (2017). ‘Now that’s the feedback I want!’ Students’ reactions to feedback on graded work and what they do with it. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(4), 499–516. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1142500.
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing research: Principles and methods. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Price, M., Handley, K., & Millar, J. (2011). Feedback: Focusing attention on engagement. Studies in Higher Education, 36(8), 879–896. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2010.483513.
Price, M., Handley, K., Millar, J., & O’Donovan, B. (2010). Feedback: All that effort, but what is the effect? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(3), 277–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930903541007.
Reeve, J. (Ed.). (2015a). Autonomy-supportive teaching: What it is, how to do it. New York: Springer.
Reeve, J. (2015b). Giving and summoning autonomy support in hierarchical relationships. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 9(8), 406–418. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12189.
Reeve, J., & Jang, H. (2006). What teachers say and do to support students’ autonomy during a learning activity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 209–218. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.209.
Reeve, J., Jang, H., Carrell, D., Barch, J., & Jeon, S. (2004). Enhancing high school students’ engagement by increasing their teachers’ autonomy support. Motivation and Emotion, 28(2), 147–169. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MOEM.0000032312.95499.6f.
Robinson, S., Pope, D., & Holyoak, L. (2013). Can we meet their expectations? Experiences and perceptions of feedback in first year undergraduate students. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(3), 260–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2011.629291.
Robson, C. (1993). Real world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). The darker and brighter sides of human existence: Basic psychological needs as a unifying concept. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 319–338. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_03.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (Eds.). (2002). An overview of self-determination theory: An organismic-dialectical perspective. Rochester: University of Rochester Press.
Sadler, D. R. (2010). Beyond feedback: Developing student capability in complex appraisal. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), 535–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930903541015.
Schein, E. H. (2013). Humble inquiry: The gentle art of asking instead of telling. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Schunk, D. H., & Swartz, C. W. (1993). Goals and progress feedback: effects on self-efficacy and writing achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 18(3), 337–354. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1993.1024.
Searle, J. R., & Vanderveken, D. (1985). Foundations of illocutionary logic. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Shih, S. S., & Alexander, J. M. (2000). Interacting effects of goal setting and self-or other-referenced feedback on children’s development of self-efficacy and cognitive skill within the Taiwanese classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 536–543. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.92.3.536.
Sierens, E., Vansteenkiste, M., Goossens, L., Soenens, B., & Dochy, F. (2009). The synergistic relationship of perceived autonomy support and structure in the prediction of self-regulated learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79, 57–68. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709908X304398.
Skinner, E., Furrer, C., Marchand, G., & Kindermann, T. (2008). Engagement and disaffection in the classroom: Part of a larger motivational dynamic? Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(4), 765–781. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012840.
Skinner, E. A., Zimmer-Gembeck, J., M., & Connell, J. P. (1998). Individual differences and the development of perceived control. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 63, (2–3, Whole No. 204).
Small, F., & Attree, K. (2016). Undergraduate student responses to feedback: expectations and experiences. Studies in Higher Education, 41(11), 2078–2094. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1007944.
Sparks, C., Dimmock, J. A., Whipp, P., Jackson, B., & Lonsdale, C. (2015). “Getting Connected”: High school Physical Education teacher behaviours that facilitate students’ relatedness support perceptions. Sports, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 4(3), 219–236. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000039.
Su, Y.-L., & Reeve, J. (2011). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of intervention programs designed to support autonomy. Educational Psychology Review, 23, 159–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9142-7.
Thompson, S. (1995). Teaching intonation on questions. ELT Journal, 49(3), 235–243.
Tuckman, B. (1972). Conducting educational research. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich.
Van den Berghe, L., Ros, A., & Beijaard, D. (2013). Teacher feedback during active learning: Current practices in primary schools. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(2), 341–362. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.2012.02073.x.
Van der Kleij, F., Eggen, F., Timmers, C., & Veldkamp, B. (2012). Effects of feedback in a computer-based assessment for learning. Computers & Education, 58, 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.07.020.
Van Quaquebeke, N., & Felps, W. (2018). Respectful inquiry: A motivational account of leading through asking questions and listening. Academy of Management Review, 43(1), 5–27. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2014.0537.
Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B. D. (2005). Quality questioning: Research-based practice to engage every learner. London: Corwin Press.
Wang, M.-T. (2009). School climate support for behavioral and psychological adjustment: Testing the mediating effect of social competence. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 240–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017999.
Watzlawick, P., Beavin, J., & Jackson, D. (1967). Pragmatics of human communication. New York: Norton.
Whipp, P. R., Taggart, A., & Jackson, B. (2014). Differentiation in outcomes-focused physical education: Pedagogical rhetoric and reality. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 19(4), 370–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2012.754001.
Wilen, W. W. (1991). Questioning skills for teachers. What research says to the teacher (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Education Association.
Winne, P. H., & Nesbit, J. C. (2010). The psychology of academic achievement. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 653–678. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100348.
Witt, P. L., Wheeless, L. R., & Allen, M. (2004). A meta-analytical review of the relationship between teacher immediacy and student learning. Communication Education, 71, 184–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/036452042000228054.
Zhao, L., & Mo, S. (2016). The impact of cognitive awareness on class performance in financial accounting courses. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 20(2), 78–88.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: a social cognitive perspective. In Handbook of Self- Regulation (pp. 13–39). San Diego, California, USA: Academic Press.
Zumbrunn, S., Mars, S., & Mewborn, C. (2016). Toward a better understanding of student perceptions of written feedback: a mixed methods study. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 29, 349–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-015-9599-3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tan, F.D.H., Whipp, P.R., Gagné, M. et al. Students’ perception of teachers’ two-way feedback interactions that impact learning. Soc Psychol Educ 22, 169–187 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-018-9473-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-018-9473-7