Date of Award
4-13-2015
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Heather G. Lettner-Rust, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Gena D. Southall, Ed.D.
Third Advisor
Robert Lynch, Ph.D.
Abstract
While effective instructor written feedback is critical, the process is often the least understood and is a detriment to student success when improperly applied. This case study identifies strategies that characterize successful instructor written feedback for students' written assignments in an introductory college composition course. My research examines instructor feedback within the diverse environment of the community college thus highlighting the importance of instructor knowledge of composition pedagogy and feedback methods and approaches. A review of literature on instructor feedback identifies instructor and student collaboration as a key component for success together with understanding of historical trends in the field of composition studies. This case study includes five individual interviews with introductory composition community college instructors and a textual analysis of twenty samples of formative and summative instructor feedback to student submissions . Bloom 's Taxonomy is used to graph alignment of stated instructor goals in relation to resulting written feedback. Study findings reveal a discrepancy or gap between instructor approaches to and goals for feedback and the resulting written feedback. An evaluation of the gap between the instructor approach and the resulting written feedback helped develop implications for teaching in any introductory composition course. The implications of the study reveal that understanding various approaches when setting goals and providing written feedback together with knowledge of the history of composition pedagogy are powerful tools in the introductory composition course.
Recommended Citation
Grady, Meredith R., "Mind the Gap: A Case Study in Instructor Intention and Feedback" (2015). Theses & Honors Papers. 131.
https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/etd/131
