Students’ and Lecturers’ Perceptions and Experiences on Engaging Students in Feedback Dialogues to Promote the Voices of Students in Learning in Higher Education

Abstract

Students' involvement in discussions on feedback in higher education is often undervalued. Students’ voices in matters of teaching, learning and assessment need to be incorporated so that learning is not left only in the teacher's control. This study explored the perceptions and views of both the students and lecturers regarding students’ participation in feedback dialogues, aiming to access the subjective meanings participants ascribe to the phenomenon of ‘feedback’. The current feedback model typically positions lecturers as the primary source of information, with students acting as passive recipients of feedback. A shift in the conceptual feedback landscape is necessary to perceive feedback as a tool for improving performance and learning through collaborative lecturer-student dialogues. Archer’s theoretical model of feedback underpins this qualitative study, which employed a phenomenological design. Data were collected from 15 undergraduate education students and 6 lecturers through purposive and convenience sampling. Face-to-face, one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with all 21 participants alongside two focus group discussions with the students. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that both students and lecturers embrace students’ involvement in feedback dialogues. Additionally, some lecturers actively engage students in feedback dialogues before conducting assessments. The findings suggest that lecturers should foster assessment and feedback conversations to improve student engagement with feedback. Furthermore, higher education institutions should monitor the implementation of feedback practices.