Diantha Soemantri¹
Anyta Pinasthika¹ and Nadia Greviana¹
1 Department of Medical Education Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia 

Verbal and written feedback are considered important to support learning. Nevertheless, less is understood about written feedback provision in medical education, which can be a burdensome task for teachers. Therefore, this study is conducted to examine the factors influencing the provision of written feedback, including cognitive and emotional aspects. 

Summary of work

This study used a descriptive qualitative design which involved 33 medical teachers, selected using maximum variety sampling, distributed into four focus groups (FGs). FGs were conducted using an interview guide developed based on thorough literature review focusing on written feedback delivery. Data was then transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. 

We identified four main components in providing written feedback consisting of teachers, students’ tasks or assignments, impact of feedback and system/educational environment, which affected delivery of written feedback through either cognitive or affective mechanism i.e: the quality of students’ assignment (cognitive) and the nature of the students-teachers relationship (affective) shaped teachers’ written feedback. The availability of role model affectively shaped teachers’ willingness to provide written feedback, whereas standardized rubric or system to facilitate written feedback is an example of cognitive domain which impacted on the teachers’ ability to provide written feedback. 

Providing written feedback is proven to be a complex process which may not only increase teachers’ cognitive load but can also be emotionally exhausting. Therefore, measures should be taken to support this important task of providing written feedback, including establishing adequate institutional policies and system, empowering students’ feedback seeking behavior, and improving teachers’ self-regulating ability. 

Supporting teachers’ roles in giving written feedback requires attention to a wide range of factors, from teachers self-regulating ability to the institutional policies. 

Providing written feedback is important. However, since it is a cognitive and emotion laden process, multifaceted supports are required. 

References (maximum three) 

Yu S, Zheng Y, Jiang L, Lu C, Xu Y. “I even feel annoyed and angry”: Teacher emotional experiences in giving feedback on student writing. Assessing Writing. 2021. 100528 

Bing-You R, Hayes V, Varaklis K, Trowbridge R, Kemp H, McKelvy D. Feedback for learners in medical education: What is known? A Scoping Review. Acad med. 2017. 92(9): 1346-54