Nexus of Faculty Feedback Quality and Students’ Deep Approaches to Learning in General Education: A Mixed-Methods Study

While the significant impact of faculty feedback on student learning is well recognized, the intricate link between the quality of faculty feedback and students’ deep approaches to learning, especially in the context of general education, has yet to be clarified. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study examined the relationship between students’ perceived of quality feedback and their deep learning in general education courses. A total of 1,241 participants from a public research university took part in the survey, with follow-up interviews conducted with 20 students to validate the survey findings. The analysis indicates that encouraging, constructive, and diverse feedback significantly contributes to students’ deep approaches to learning. In contrast, timely feedback does not demonstrate a significant effect, and specific feedback is found to negatively impact deep learning. Furthermore, the study reveals variations in these effects across gender and academic disciplines. The qualitative findings corroborate the quantitative results, enhancing our comprehension of the ways faculty feedback can either facilitate or impede deep learning. These findings offer valuable directions for improving feedback practices in general education contexts.