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Description
This study examines how Japanese university students' recollections of teacher feedback in high school relate to their English learning in the second university year. Questionnaire data from 85 students were analyzed alongside TOEFL ITP scores and presentation assessments. Recalled feedback was consistently associated with attitudes toward learning English, but not with either measure of proficiency. Opportunities for communicative activities showed no such association; instruction in how to carry them out did.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
In Japanese high school English education, communicative activities have been increasingly emphasized under the national Course of Study issued by MEXT. Research on formative assessment highlights the role of feedback in shaping both performance and learner engagement (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Shute, 2008). However, few studies have asked what such experiences leave behind years later, and retrospective studies have typically relied on self-rated ability rather than external measures. This study therefore distinguishes attitudes from measured proficiency, asking whether recalled teacher feedback in high school relates to each, and draws on data from two cohorts.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
This study asks how recalled high school experiences relate to English learning two years into university. The research questions are: (1) Do recalled experiences of teacher feedback relate to current attitudes toward learning English? (2) Do they relate to measured English proficiency? (3) Do opportunities for communicative activities and instruction in how to carry them out differ in their associations with these outcomes? The study clarifies what feedback experiences leave behind.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
Participants were 85 students in two cohorts at a Japanese university, surveyed in their second year. A six-point questionnaire measured recalled high school experiences—teacher feedback, opportunities for communicative activities, and instruction in how to carry them out—together with current learning attitudes. Proficiency was indexed by TOEFL ITP scores and by ratings of in-class presentations, standardized within cohort. Correlations and multiple regression examined associations, with retrospective enjoyment of high school lessons controlled.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Recalled teacher feedback was consistently associated with attitudes toward learning English—desire to improve (r = .42), effort (r = .38), and interest (r = .39), all p < .001—but showed no association with either proficiency measure (TOEFL ITP r = .03; presentations r = .09). Opportunities for communicative activities showed no association with any attitude, whereas instruction in how to carry them out did. In regression, feedback remained significant while opportunities did not. Feedback also explained variance in learners' aspirations beyond retrospective enjoyment of lessons. What teachers leave behind years later appears to lie in attitudes rather than measured ability.
Abstract section 5: References
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. (2018). Kōtōgakkō gakushū shidō yōryō [Course of Study for upper secondary schools]. Higashiyama Shobo.
Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153–189.
| Title | High School Feedback: Linked to Attitudes, Not Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |