JR
  • Apps
  • AI Philosophy, Policies, and Competencies
  • AI-Powered UDL Strategies
  • LUDIA
  • AI Toolbox
  • Apps
  • AI Philosophy, Policies, and Competencies
  • AI-Powered UDL Strategies
  • LUDIA
  • AI Toolbox
Search

Teacher Feedback, Student Goal-Setting, and Mathematics Achievement

10/19/2021

 
Picture
In the latest issue of Educational Psychology devoted to “The Power of Teacher Feedback in Affecting Student Learning and Achievement: Insights from Students’ Perspective”, a study by A. J. Martin investigates whether effective teacher feedback and student goal-setting could help redress declining international trends in high school mathematics achievement.
The study examined a sample of 362 Australian high school students in grades 9, 10 and 11. Through a single survey, students were asked to report their most recent score on the numeracy component of the National Assessment Program, as well as their perception of their Mathematics teacher’s feedback and their own goals-setting habits in this discipline. 

​
More precisely, the researchers were interested in two independent variables: 


  • Teacher “feedback-feedforward”, which “comprises not only specific, corrective information (feedback), but also reinforces learning and targets personal development (feedforward)” with “guidance for improvement”.

  • Students’ “personal best” goal-setting, which “involves the use of goals that are competitively self-referenced, growth-focused, and continually encourage students to outperform their past best work”. 

In line with Goal-Setting Theory, the hypothesis was that teacher “feedback-feedforward” would encourage “personal best” efforts which, being specific and challenging, should have a positive effect on motivation and performance.

Indeed, this is what the data confirmed. As can be seen in the diagram below, “teacher feedback–feedforward did not have a significant direct effect on achievement but had a significant indirect effect via PB goal setting. This suggests that PB goal setting fully mediated the link between mathematics teacher feedback–feedforward and achievement.”
Picture
Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that:

“it is important to consider strategies 
for providing effective feedback–feedforward. Along these lines, Hattie and Timperley (2007) outline three questions that teachers can aim to answer with each of their students that collectively provide both corrective information and improvement-oriented guidance.

The first question (‘where am I going?’) is meant to remind the student 
about the goal of the overall assignment and about the student’s individual learning goals.

The second question (‘how am I doing?’) is meant to provide students with 
explicit feedback on their progress and areas of strength and weakness.

The third 
question (‘what is next?’) aims to provide students with specific feedforward information and strategies that can help the students progress their learning and revise their goals.

Taken together, answering these three questions may help teachers provide 
more individualised and targeted feedback–feedforward to their students.”


Reference

Burns, E. C., Martin, A. J., & Evans, P. A. (2019). The role of teacher feedback–feedforward and personal best goal setting in students’ mathematics achievement: a goal setting theory perspective. Educational Psychology, 1–19. doi:10.1080/01443410.2019.1662

Credit (Picture)

Summit Education Initiative: A student completes a math problem at East Community Learning Center in Akron. (Photo: Mike Crupi Photography) 

Comments are closed.
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo from Gwydion M. Williams
  • Apps
  • AI Philosophy, Policies, and Competencies
  • AI-Powered UDL Strategies
  • LUDIA
  • AI Toolbox