This paper investigates the effects of large language model (LLM) based feedback on the essay writing proficiency of university students in Hong Kong. It focuses on exploring the potential improvements that generative artificial intelligence (AI) can bring to student essay revisions, its effect on student engagement with writing tasks, and the emotions students experience while undergoing the process of revising written work. Utilizing a randomized controlled trial, it draws comparisons between the experiences and performance of 918 language students at a Hong Kong university, some of whom received generated feedback (GPT-3.5-turbo LLM) and some of whom did not. The impact of AI-generated feedback is assessed not only through quantifiable metrics, entailing statistical analysis of the impact of AI feedback on essay grading, but also through subjective indices, student surveys that captured motivational levels and emotional states, as well as thematic analysis of interviews with participating students. The incorporation of AI-generated feedback into the revision process demonstrated significant improvements in the caliber of students’ essays. The quantitative data suggests notable effect sizes of statistical significance, while qualitative feedback from students highlights increases in engagement and motivation as well as a mixed emotional experience during revision among those who received AI feedback. Copyright ©2024 Bastas Publications.

Self-regulation behaviours are a significant predictor of students’ academic achievement. However, few students are proficient in regulating their learning. Feedback is a promising way to support students in becoming self-regulated learners, but the large class sizes and tight teaching schedules make this difficult to implement in Hong Kong schools.The flipped classroom approach and seven principles of high-quality feedback practices were adapted to formulate the current study’s theoretical framework—the self-regulated flipped classroom (SRFC) approach. The flipped classroom could free up classroom time by moving teacher-centred instruction out of the classroom using online learning resources. The primary goal was to provide more opportunities for active learning activities, teachers to provide quality feedback and students to respond to the feedback.To investigate whether the SRFC approach can enhance students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) skills, a pretest, posttest nonequivalent quasi-experiment study design using a mixed-method approach was conducted. The experiment collects evidence for investigating whether the approach can (1) enhance students’ SRL, (2) foster better feedback practice, (3) enhance students’ second language writing skills and (4) foster the use of SRL strategies. Quantitative measures included two self-report questionnaires MSLQ-RCV and AEQ, students’ ELS written test and SRLIS structured interview. ANCOVA was used to analyse the data. Students’ responses to the SRLIS also transcribed, categorised into 15 SRLIS strategies and analysed qualitatively.The results indicate that students’ self-efficacy, use of feedback and writing skills were significantly higher in the SRFC classroom experimental group than in the control group. Moreover, students’ test anxiety was statistically significantly lower in the experimental group. These findings suggest that the SRFC approach can enhance students’self-efficacy, reduce their test anxiety, foster better use

Substantial research indicates that students' beliefs mediate learning strategies. Nevertheless, students' strategy-related beliefs about feedback and their mediation on strategies to act on feedback are insufficiently addressed. This case study aimed to examine: (1) students' strategy-related beliefs about feedback in L2 writing and (2) how beliefs mediated students' actions when a feedback intervention was implemented to facilitate students' use of feedback strategies. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and reflective journals from 10 Year-1 participants who studied in an associate degree programme at a higher education institute in Hong Kong. Students' strategy-related beliefs about feedback encompass the evaluation of strategies about: (1) understanding feedback, (2) addressing areas for improvement, (3) seeking feedback, and (4) implementing feedback. Nine participants adopted a more comprehensive range of strategies to act on feedback consistent with their strategy-related beliefs. One participant, however, did not appreciate and use feedback. Pedagogical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2023 Routledge.

Universities around the world are encouraging teachers to provide more constructive feedback to support student learning, but do teachers know how to distinguish constructive feedback? What pedagogical practice is considered as feedback and what is not? For example, is a rubric a type of feedback? To date, very limited research has answered these questions from university teachers' perspectives and the current study aims to address this gap. In this study, ten teacher training workshops were conducted in a university in Hong Kong, with an intention to enhance teachers' competence in assessment and feedback. During the workshops, we first adopted Poll Everywhere to survey whether teachers (N = 248) recognise six types of common pedagogical practices as feedback, and subsequently used this as a base to discuss with teachers the reasons behind their responses. Findings reveal teachers' varied perceptions of these practices as feedback, which may be related to their varied understandings of feedback purposes. The paper calls for an explicit acknowledgement of the multiple purposes of feedback, and concludes with implications for teacher feedback literacy in higher education. Copyright ©2021 Routledge.

Previous research on comprehensive/focused written corrective feedback (WCF) has been dominated by the experimental/quasi-experimental tradition, with low ecological validity and limited pedagogical relevance, and without sufficiently recognizing the complex issues that influence teacher WCF practices in authentic classrooms. To fill this gap, this study adopts an ecological approach informed by a complexity perspective to investigate two secondary teachers’ attempts at focused WCF in the Hong Kong EFL writing context. Data were gathered for one academic year from interviews with teachers and students, classroom observations, students’ writing, as well as pre-and post-writing tests. The findings suggest that focused WCF is feasible in authentic classrooms when it is aligned with writing instruction and provided on preselected error types and selective errors based on individual students’ needs, providing an impetus for teachers to strengthen their writing pedagogy and freeing them up to enhance feedback on other areas of student writing. The study points to the potential of focused, student-specific WCF in enhancing written accuracy as well as students’ engagement with revision, and concludes with implications for the pedagogy of WCF in similar contexts. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This study investigates students' perceptions about their teachers' adoption of a new way to use feedback in writing classrooms in two elementary schools in Hong Kong. The innovation comprises three feedback stages (i.e., pre-feedback, during-feedback and post-feedback) over the course of a teaching-learning cycle to maximize the potential of feedback to the learning effectiveness of the students. Data included student questionnaires, interviews with students and teachers, lesson observations as well as documentary analysis of teaching material. Results indicate that the students considered feedback delivery in the three stages as beneficial to their interest, confidence, motivation and self-perceived performance in writing. The article highlights the need to offer feedback in all three feedback phases to maximize its effectiveness and to offer a more positive learning experience to students.
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The present study evaluated the implementation and impact of the "general university requirements" (GUR) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods included a four-year longitudinal online survey, Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus (CLA+), and secondary analyses of student feedback data in different years. Qualitative methods included focus groups and qualitative evaluation forms involving students and teachers as well as a longitudinal case study. Results showed that students displayed positive development based on different developmental indicators of the five desired graduate attributes of PolyU in their study of the four-year program. Both students and teachers also generally showed positive perceptions of the GUR, with reference to its subject content, teaching and learning, and benefits. Several major concerns regarding the GUR were also identified.
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This study was conducted in a Hong Kong secondary school and investigated teachers' views of a nontraditional reporting system referred to as "the narrative student report." The report facilitates delivery of descriptive feedback to students to encourage their development as self-regulated learners. A single location case-study was used with ethnographic components (long-term observation in natural setting, interviews, discussion). Information was collected mainly from observations and individual interviews with 15 teachers. The school is an "inviting school" that has adopted the Invitational Education model as a way of energizing students to realize their full potential. The findings here confirmed data from a previous study that examined students' views of the same system. The students identified four crucial influences that affect the success of the system. To this list, teachers here have added three more influences — teachers' shared beliefs, various learning opportunities, and teachers' professional development. The findings are interpreted from the perspective of invitational education. Copyright © 2013 The Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association.

This study explores kindergarten teachers’ understanding of, comments on their actual practice of giving feedback to children in Hong Kong. The research employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, with data being collected through questionnaires and interviews. The sample was chosen from the in-service kindergarten teachers who were enrolled in the teacher certificate course offered at Hong Kong Institute of Education during the academic year 2015-2016. Questionnaires were sent to 150 in-service kindergarten teachers and six teachers were interviewed. Finding indicates that many teachers have the basic understanding of using feedback. They can analyze the aims of giving students feedback not only from the perspectives of students, but also the interaction between teachers and students. However, they seldom explore it through the views from teachers. Teachers’ aims of giving students feedback are mostly for encouraging and it is mainly positive and appreciation. It is common for teachers to give motivational feedback in kindergartens, however, over-emphasize has its disadvantage. It is found that teachers encountered two problems. Firstly, teachers do not have adequate training about giving students feedback. Secondly, teachers lack follow-up work after giving feedback to students. Some suggestions for teachers’ development are made at the end of the paper. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.

Background: Abundant research has been undertaken on the importance of teachers’ feedback to the school achievement of students. However, focus has rarely been placed on the differences between the perception on feedback of students and teachers. Being a part of the study which was sponsored by a General Research Grant awarded by Research Grants Council of UGC, Hong Kong (Project Number 844011), we attempted to find out the differences between students’ and teachers’ perception on feedback. Aims and Keywords: The study aimed to find out the differences between Hong Kong primary school students and teachers in their views to feedback. Sample: Four thousand five hundred and seven students between primary 3 and primary 5, 132 teachers from 26 Hong Kong primary schools were sampled in the study. Method: A 42-item instrument with 4-Likert point response scale was constructed by the research team to collect the responses from Hong Kong students and teachers of their perception on 6 dimensions in feedback. Multidimensional Rasch analysis was conducted on the collected data with CONQUEST 2.0. Results: The results showed that: (1) item-fit was between 0.5 and 1.5 for all items except one; (2) Rasch person reliabilities in the 6 dimensions ranged from 0.72 to 0.86 and item reliabilities was 1.00; (3) the effect size of the respondents’ status (teacher or student) in the 6 dimensions ranged from 0.32 to 0.64. Conclusions: In this study, there are moderate differences between the students and teachers in the perception on the source of feedback, the effectiveness of feedback and the function of feedback. On the other hand, there are little differences among the two types of respondents in the perception on the goodness of feedback, the focus/target of feedback and the expectation of feedback.