Feedback and emotion: Assessing the impact of Chinese students’ feedback perceptions on learning-related emotions from a control-value perspective

The academic power of feedback in affecting student achievement has been evident in Hattie’s (2009, 2017) influential synthesis studies. Based on 80,000 independent studies, Hattie (2017) found feedback has a high effect size of .70 in affecting student achievement. However, the relationship between feedback and achievement might not be linear. As Hattie (2018) commented feedback is powerful, but it is also variable. In search of the underlying mechanisms of feedback in influencing student achievement, the emotional power of feedback remains under-researched (Yang, 2019). By incorporating feedback research and control-value theory of achievement emotions, this study is the first to examine students’ control-value appraisal of teacher feedback received in learning processes and eight learning-related emotions in China. Participants were 1539 grades 7 to 9 Chinese students. The results showed students’ perceived usefulness of feedback (value) was a significantly positive predictor of positive learning-related emotions, whereas significantly negative predictor of negative learning-related emotions. Specifically, this pattern was consistent across discrete positive emotions (i.e., enjoyment, hope, pride) and negative emotions (i.e., anger, anxiety, boredom, shame, and hopelessness). Comparatively, feedback selfefficacy (control) was also a significantly positive predictor of positive learning-related achievement emotions, but its predictive effect was weaker than that of feedback usefulness. Theoretical and practical implications to not only assessment for learning (AfL), but also assessment as learning (AaL) are discussed. Copyright © 2020 PHC.