The tangle in the feedback loop: Learner agency through a feedback loop activity across four university language programs

This study investigated a semester-long feedback loop activity carried out by six colleagues in four different language programs at the same university. 38 students participated from six different classes with varied proficiency levels in Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish. The goal of this activity was to provide tailored feedback with a view to enhancing the feedback process and improving learning. While the success of the activity varied across the six classes, there was evidence of increased student engagement with feedback and improved understanding of their role in the feedback process. Unexpected differences emerged in the way the feedback loop activity was implemented in the respective classrooms. The reasons for these differences as well as for differences in levels of learner engagement were explored using Bronfenbrenner’s (1977, 1993) ecological framework, demonstrating its usefulness as a model for understanding feedback practices in university language programs.