As digital learning is becoming more prevalent, more opportunities to assist students’ learning and performance are arising. One example is the use of Knowledge of Results (KR) feedback, which is a type of computer-based feedback that allows students to immediately know if they respond to a question correctly or not on an assessment. Such feedback may facilitate learning by providing students with correct information and increasing their motivation, but no empirical studies have been done to investigate the impact of various delivery modes of KR feedback on students’ performance as well as motivation and affect in a low-stakes summative assessment setting. To fill this gap in the literature, Kuklick and Lindner (2021) investigated how different delivery modes (text, no feedback, color, sound, and animation feedback) of KR feedback influence students’ cognitive, motivational, and emotional outcomes. 

To examine how different delivery modes of KR feedback affect students’ motivation, performance, and achievement emotions, Kuklick and Lindner (2021) had 657 students from 5th and 6th grades take 2 computer-based, multiple-choice science tests. In the first test, all of the students had the same test questions but received feedback on the correctness of their responses in different delivery modes (no feedback, text, color, sound, and animation feedback). Students then took the second test which included questions targeting the same scientific concepts as in the first test without feedback. Before and after the first test, students completed questionnaires assessing their motivation and emotion. Students’ performance was measured by the proportion of their correct responses to the test items in the second test. To assess motivation, students rated their expectancy of success on the test and their perceived importance of the test in demonstrating their competence. Emotional outcomes were measured by students’ rating of their effort, enjoyment, pride, and boredom. The results showed that KR feedback, regardless of the delivery mode, improved students’ second-test performance on the items that are identical to those in the first test. However, it had no effect on students’ second-test performance on the near-transfer items (different questions that are closely related to the target content in the first test). There were no positive effects of KR feedback on motivational and emotional outcomes. For low-performing students, KR feedback decreased their expectancy of success and pride. However, for high-performing students, KR feedback not only enhanced their expectancy of success, enjoyment, and pride, but also reduced the negative feeling of boredom. 

Kuklick and Lindner’s (2021) study helps educators recognize that students' reactions to feedback vary by their performance levels. Thus, it is important to provide students with appropriate feedback that enhances their cognitive and affective-motivational outcomes. The study can also be considered a stepping stone to large-scale experiments that implement KR feedback on low-stake assessments. This study relates to EPIC’s research on students’ reactions to failure and their future performance. The results of the current study shed light on a potential future research direction on the delivery modes of critical feedback and their influences on students’ performance, motivation, and emotions. 

For more information about this study, check out the link to retrieve the journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361476X21000606

This post was written by Katelyn Chow and Emma Hong. 

Reference:

Kuklick, L., & Lindner, M. A. (2021). Computer-based knowledge of results feedback in different delivery modes: Effects on performance, motivation, and achievement emotions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 67, 102001