Feedback engagement: The roles of social comparison and achievement goals from a variable- and person-centered approach

Feedback engagement is critical for student learning in higher education, yet the role of social comparison and achievement goals in shaping such engagement remain underexplored. Drawing on both a variable-centered approach (structural equation modeling) and a person-centered approach (latent profile analysis), this study explored the relationship between social comparison and feedback engagement, the mediating role of achievement goals, and how distinct profiles of social comparison and achievement goals relate to feedback engagement. A total of 1800 college students participated in the study. The results revealed that upward identification, downward contrast, and upward contrast exerted positive effects on feedback engagement, whereas downward identification had a negative effect. Mastery goals positively mediated the effects of upward identification on all engagement dimensions and downward contrast on behavioral engagement, but negatively mediated the effects of downward identification on all engagement dimensions. In contrast, performance-avoidance goals negatively mediated the effects of upward and downward contrast on all engagement dimensions, yet positively mediated the effects of downward identification on all engagement dimensions. Latent profile analysis further showed that only about one-quarter of students demonstrated high feedback engagement, indicating generally insufficient engagement in higher education. Profiles characterized by high social comparison and high achievement goals exhibited the highest engagement, whereas those with low social comparison and low motivation showed the lowest engagement. These findings advance understanding of the motivational mechanism linking social comparison to feedback engagement and underscore the importance of integrating both social comparison and achievement goals into interventions designed to enhance feedback engagement.