“I feel disappointed”: EFL university students’ emotional responses towards teacher written feedback

• Published in: Assessing writing 2017-01, Vol.31, p.53-72
• Main Author: Mahfoodh, Omer Hassan Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: EFL university students; Emotional responses; Revision; Second language writing; Teacher written feedback
• ISSN: 1075-2935; 1873-5916
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2016.07.001

[Display omitted] •EFL university students showed a range of emotional responses towards teacher feedback.•Acceptance of feedback and rejection of feedback has the highest frequencies.•Satisfaction and feeling of happiness are two of the emotional responses.•Emotional responses also include dissatisfaction, surprise, frustration, and disappointment.•Emotional responses may affect university students’ utilisation of teacher written feedback. Studies on teacher written feedback in Second Language (L2) contexts have not given adequate attention to learners’ emotional responses towards teacher written feedback. Thus, this study examined the relationship between emotional responses of EFL university students towards teacher written feedback and students’ success of revisions. Data were collected using think-aloud protocols, students’ written texts, and semi-structured interviews. To obtain students’ emotional responses towards teacher written feedback, grounded theory was employed to analyse think-aloud protocols and semi-structured interviews. Teacher written feedback was tabulated and categorised using a coding scheme which was developed based on Straub and Lunsford (1995) and Ferris (1997). Students’ success of revisions was analysed using an analytical scheme based on Conrad and Goldstein (1999). The results revealed that EFL university students’ emotional responses include acceptance of feedback, rejection of feedback, surprise, happiness, dissatisfaction, disappointment, frustration, and satisfaction. Some emotional responses could be attributed to harsh criticism, negative evaluation, and miscommunication between teachers and their students. The study also revealed that emotional responses can affect students’ understanding and utilisation of teacher written feedback.