Feedback & Motivation

How Can We Provide Effective Feedback?

Effective feedback is:

• SPECIFIC: Focused on the task, not the student.
• BALANCED: Highlights strengths and areas for growth.
• NON-COMPARATIVE: Avoids ranking or normative judgments.
• REFLECTIVE: Encourages students to think about their learning.
• SUPPORTIVE: Delivered in a respectful, growth-oriented tone.
• TIMELY: Delivered soon after a task, feedback reinforces understanding, corrects misconceptions, and encourages reflection.

But not all feedback is created equal—how we deliver it matters as much as when. 

KNOW YOUR STUDENTS: Use surveys, reflections, or informal check-ins to understand their preferences and needs.

OFFER CHOICE: Let students choose between written or verbal feedback, or between peer and teacher feedback.

DIFFERENTIATE TONE AND DEPTH: Some students need encouragement, others need challenge.

A Study on the Effects of Feedback

One of the most common moments of feedback for a student is when they are assessed. In their landmark study, Ruth Butler and Mordecai Nisan explored how students responded to feedback/comments and grades.

Effects of No Feedback, Task-Related Comments, and Grades on Intrinsic Motivation and Performance (1986)

💡 Interestingly enough they discovered that giving grades and comments together was less effective. Students tended to focus solely on the grade, ignoring the accompanying comments:

• If the grade was high, they felt no need to read the comment, knowing they did their job.
• If the grade was low, they avoided the comment because their motivation and self-efficacy has already suffered a major ding, why pile on?

This behavior dilutes the impact of teacher feedback when grades and comments are released simultaneously.

• Students who received only comments showed a 30% greater learning gain.
• Students who received only grades showed no additional learning gain. 
• Students who received grades and comments showed no additional learning gain.

Black & Wiliam (1998) supported these findings, stating that grades cause students to ignore comments. 

• Students who received comments showed the highest levels of intrinsic motivation and performance, especially on creative tasks.
• Those who received grades performed better on structured tasks but showed reduced creativity and interest.
• Unsurprisingly, students who received no feedback experienced the lowest motivation and performance.

Implications for Teaching

Here are practical ways teachers can change how they give feedback and grades to better support student motivation and learning:

1. PRIORITIZE COMMENTS OVER GRADES

Students who received only comments showed significantly greater learning gains than those who received grades or grades with comments.

HOW: Provide task-specific, individualized comments without attaching a grade immediately. Focus on what was done well and what can be improved.

2. DELAY OR SEPARATE GRADE RELEASE

When grades and comments are given together, students tend to ignore the comments.

HOW: Share feedback first, then release grades later. This encourages students to engage with the feedback in meaningful way.

3. USE FEEDBACK TO PROMOTE REFLECTION

Comments help students understand their learning process and build self-assessment skills.

HOW: Include reflective prompts like:

• “What part of this task was most challenging?”
• "What would you improve if you did this again?"
• "What strategies did you use to complete this task?"
• "How did your approach affect your results?"
• "How have you improved compared to your last assignment?"
• "What did you learn about yourself?"

4. FOCUS ON MASTERY, NOT COMPARISON

Normative grades (ranking students) can undermine intrinsic motivation.

HOW: Use criterion-referenced (qualitative) rubrics and avoid comparisons to peers. Frame feedback around growth and mastery.

5. DIFFERENTIATE FEEDBACK BASED ON STUDENT NEEDS

Students respond differently to feedback based on their motivation, confidence, and background.

HOW: Get to know students’ preferences and tailor feedback tone and format accordingly (ex: written vs. verbal, scaffolded vs. open-ended).

BONUS: Consider Motivational Profiles

Some students are mastery-oriented (focused on learning), while others are performance-oriented (focused on grades or comparison). Mastery-oriented students thrive on process-focused feedback. Performance-oriented students may be more sensitive to grades or public comparisons, which can either motivate or discourage depending on context.

6. USE FEEDBACK MOMENTS STRATEGICALLY

Not every assignment needs detailed feedback.

HOW: Focus on key checkpoints (ex: drafts, midterms) where feedback can guide improvement. Use rubrics and comment banks to save time.

What Can the Students Do?

Students benefit from learning how to interpret, apply, and seek feedback. Feedback literacy empowers students to become active participants in their learning.

🕕 🕦 🕙 But Who Has The Time? 🕕 🕦 🕙

Providing individualized feedback doesn’t have to be overwhelming. There are several strategies that help maintain quality while improving efficiency.

CONSIDER THESE STRATEGIES:

1. Use comment banks with customizable templates.
2. Incorporate peer review with structured rubrics. This can also prompt a few mini-lessons in training students on giving constructive feedback.
3. Leverage technology. Audio/video recording tools allow you to speak feedback instead of writing it. Its often faster and more personal—especially for more complex or nuanced comments.
4. A focus on formative feedback during drafts or checkpoints not only builds competencies and skills but will decrease the load of the final assignment feedback.
5. Design rubrics that include pre-written feedback for each performance level. Students get immediate, consistent feedback aligned with learning goals.
6. Instead of only commenting on what went wrong, offer actionable suggestions for future tasks. This reduces repetition and helps students apply feedback across assignments.

SOURCES

Butler, R., & Nisan, M. (1986)

Effects of No Feedback, Task-Related Comments, and Grades on Intrinsic Motivation and Performance

Guo, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2021)

Relationships Between Teacher Feedback and Student 

Wisniewski, B., Zierer, K., & Hattie, J. (2020)

The Power of Feedback Revisited: A Meta-Analysis of Educational Feedback Research

Guskey, T. R. (2019)

Grades versus Comments: Research on Student Feedback

Black, P. J., & Wiliam, D. (1998)

Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment