Feedback helped students learn, and feedback with more information helped most.
HelpedThe short version
In studies with a comparison group, feedback helped students learn more than that group did.
- 61,000
- students from kindergarten to university
The review
Who took part
About 61,000 people took part in 435 studies. They were students from kindergarten to university, and some were teachers.
What they did
Most of the feedback came from teachers to students. It could be written, spoken, or sent by video, audio or computer. It ranged from rewards or punishments and corrections to information about the task and how to do it better.
What happened
Feedback helped students learn, and the more information it carried, the more it helped. The studies differed a lot, so one average does not fit every kind of feedback. The funnel plot was lopsided, which points to studies with weak results being left unpublished.
What the review found
- Helped
In studies with a comparison group, feedback helped students learn more than that group did.
Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs the comparison group · ⚠ the studies disagreed a lot; mixes trials with other kinds of study
- Helped
Feedback that said more, such as why a mistake happened, helped students learn more than the comparison group did.
Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs the comparison group · ⚠ mixes trials with other kinds of study
- Helped
Across eight studies, peer feedback helped students learn more than the comparison group did.
Pooled analysis of 8 studies · vs the comparison group · ⚠ the studies disagreed a lot; mixes trials with other kinds of study
How solid is this?
- Large group
- Results look too good to be true
- Mixes trials with other kinds of study
- Signs that small negative studies went unpublished
Source
The Power of Feedback Revisited: A Meta-Analysis of Educational Feedback Research (2020)
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03087 (opens in a new tab)
