What are our international students telling us? Further explorations of a formative feedback intervention, to support academic literacy
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Abstract
This study reports on a further iteration of an action research cycle, discussed in Burns and Foo (2012, 2013). It explores how formative feedback on academic literacy was used and acted upon, and if a Formative Feedback Intervention (FFI) increased the students’ confidence in future assignments. It also considers whether the assignment of a grade was beneficial. Students were asked to give written reflections using Gibbs reflective model (1988) and later via a semi-structured questionnaire. In-depth interviews were also carried out to provide rich data. Findings suggest students are taking appropriate actions to close the gap (Sadler, 1989) in particular sharing with their peers. Feedback is reported to be an emotional experience; the grade assigned is highly valued and appears to be used for self-motivation. In addition, students raised the issue of the cultural adjustment they are making to bridge the gap between the teaching and learning of their home and new environment.
Keywords
Academic literacy; formative feedback; international students.
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