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Education Sciences
Volume 16
Issue 5
10.3390/educsci16050793
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Mixed Feelings About Feedback: An Exploratory Study of Students’ and Lecturers’ Emotions Pertaining to Written Feedback on Assessment

by
Tony Dowden
1,2,*,
Seyum Getenet
2,
Frey Parkes
3,
Johannes M. Luetz
4,5,6,
Heejin Chang
7,
J-F
8,
Tania Leach
2 and
Peter Albion
2
1
School of Education, Alphacrucis University College, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
2
School of Education and Creative Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, QLD 4300, Australia
3
Independent Researcher, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
4
Graduate Research School, Alphacrucis University College, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
5
School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
6
School of Law and Society, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4556, Australia
7
School of Business, Law, Humanities and Pathways, University of Southern Queensland, Darling Heights, QLD 4350, Australia
8
School of Education, Crandall University, Moncton, NB E1C9L7, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(5), 793; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16050793 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 9 March 2026 / Revised: 9 May 2026 / Accepted: 11 May 2026 / Published: 18 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teachers as Assessors: Exploring the Socio-Emotional Dimension of Teacher Assessment Literacy)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Written feedback on high-stakes assessment has the potential to provide students with valuable advice for future assessment episodes, but when feedback has a negative impact on students’ emotions, it can negate any benefits. This exploratory study reports on the perceptions of 14 lecturers and 19 students regarding their emotions toward written assessment feedback within a university preparatory program for students at a regional university in Australia. Focus groups were used to collect data from the participants. The data were analysed with NVivo Version 11 software. The data were further analysed by the authors, who identified and categorised phrases pertaining to students’ and lecturers’ emotions about feedback. The study found that lecturers and students had mixed feelings about written feedback, especially when personal connections between lecturers, other staff, and students were tenuous. It concluded that further research focusing on the impact of emotions on how students perceive written feedback and apply it in future assessments could provide insights into how to enhance contemporary tertiary teaching and assessment practices.
Keywords: assessment; higher education; student emotion; lecturer emotion; written feedback assessment; higher education; student emotion; lecturer emotion; written feedback

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MDPI and ACS Style

Dowden, T.; Getenet, S.; Parkes, F.; Luetz, J.M.; Chang, H.; J-F; Leach, T.; Albion, P. Mixed Feelings About Feedback: An Exploratory Study of Students’ and Lecturers’ Emotions Pertaining to Written Feedback on Assessment. Educ. Sci. 2026, 16, 793. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16050793

AMA Style

Dowden T, Getenet S, Parkes F, Luetz JM, Chang H, J-F, Leach T, Albion P. Mixed Feelings About Feedback: An Exploratory Study of Students’ and Lecturers’ Emotions Pertaining to Written Feedback on Assessment. Education Sciences. 2026; 16(5):793. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16050793

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dowden, Tony, Seyum Getenet, Frey Parkes, Johannes M. Luetz, Heejin Chang, J-F, Tania Leach, and Peter Albion. 2026. "Mixed Feelings About Feedback: An Exploratory Study of Students’ and Lecturers’ Emotions Pertaining to Written Feedback on Assessment" Education Sciences 16, no. 5: 793. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16050793

APA Style

Dowden, T., Getenet, S., Parkes, F., Luetz, J. M., Chang, H., J-F, Leach, T., & Albion, P. (2026). Mixed Feelings About Feedback: An Exploratory Study of Students’ and Lecturers’ Emotions Pertaining to Written Feedback on Assessment. Education Sciences, 16(5), 793. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16050793

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