Feedback in Higher Education: Chinese Undergraduate Students’ Understandings and Experiences of Feedback

Feedback is widely recognised as one of the most powerful tools for the improvement of learning. However, its effectiveness largely depends on students’ willingness and ability to engage with the feedback process. This engagement requires students to seek, understand, generate and utilise feedback, but these skills can only develop when they recognise the value of feedback and see themselves as active participants in the feedback process. Thus, it is of great significance to explore students’ perceptions and experiences of the feedback process. With reference to the context of Chinese higher education, relatively little attention has been paid to students’ perceptions and experiences of feedback and how these influence their actions outside of the English as a foreign language context. Located within interpretive inquiry, the current qualitative study aimed to generate an in-depth understanding of feedback from the perspective of 18 undergraduate students enrolled in two programmes at a public university in China. Data were collected over time with each student participating in three semi structured interviews and one focus group discussion. In addition, relevant artefacts such as mind maps and marked assignments were gathered from each student. All data sets were analysed using a thematic approach to analysis. Findings revealed that students understood that the purpose of feedback was to support their learning, with a number seeing it as a source of motivation given their desire to achieve well. However, their ability to understand and interpret feedback was strongly influenced by the nature and quality of information. Findings also indicated that while students appreciated and recognised the importance of feedback to their learning and achievement, acting on this feedback was dependent on opportunities to make productive changes and the perceived usefulness of the feedback. In addition, it was evident that the cultural context influenced how students perceived, experienced and enacted their roles in the feedback process. The influence of Confucian tenets was highlighted in students’ recognition and acceptance of their teachers’ feedback and the need to act on it if they had the opportunity. Teachers were considered knowledgeable elders and students as novices. However, as a number of students progressed through their studies, they saw the advantages of taking on a more active role in the feedback process. Arguably, these students were able to reconcile the competing demands of Confucian societal expectations and those prescribed in Chinese higher education teaching and learning policies that articulate an active role for students in the learning process. Seemingly these students were able to navigate these competing demands and take on dual roles within the feedback process.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor dc:publisher

ResearchSpace@Auckland

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Yin, Ruoxiu

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Dixon, Helen
• Hawe, Eleanor

• Feedback
• Higher education
• Student feedback literacy

Statement dc:rights

• Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2292/74336

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchspace.auckland.ac.nz:2292/74336