Abstract
Teacher feedback is an essential pedagogical tool. With the growing prominence of student-centered teaching approaches, researchers’ attention has shifted from the provision of teacher feedback to how students engage with it. However, most of the existing studies on this topic have been conducted in second language writing classrooms and have primarily adopted qualitative methods. There is a lack of research in translation or interpretation learning contexts. To fill this gap, this study aimed to explore learner engagement with teacher feedback and the related factors in an English-Chinese interpreting program in a university in Hong Kong. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used.The data collection methods encompassed an interview study (including focus group and individual interviews), a survey study with a questionnaire, and a session collecting students’ post-class reports on their engagement with teacher feedback. Twenty students participated in the interviews, which aimed to have an in-depth understanding of how students engaged with teacher feedback, what factors might influence their engagement, and how they were influenced by the factors. As a pilot study, a focus group interview comprised of 4 students was conducted, with the main purpose to generate an interview protocol, based on which 16 students were interviewed individually. The questionnaire designed for the quantitative study was revised based on the results from the interview study. The questionnaire consisted of 5 parts: (1) Interpreting Classroom Teacher Feedback Engagement Scale (ICTFES); (2) Interpreting Learning Motives Scale (ILMS); (3) Self-perceived Language and Interpreting Ability Scale (SLIAS); (4) Demographic Information Sheet (DIS); and (5) some one-item questions on confidence in doing interpreting, self-discipline in learning interpreting, effectiveness of teacher feedback, and weekly amount of after-class practice. Sixty-seven students participated in the quantitative study. During the last session of the last class in the semester, verbal reports were obtained from 46 students on their experience with teacher feedback and expectations on it.
The findings indicated that the students had profound emotional engagement with teacher feedback in interpreting classrooms. Their engagement with teacher feedback was significantly deeper in the emotional dimension than in the behavioral and cognitive dimensions. The emotional dimension of engagement was also the only one among the three dimensions that had significant impact on the students’ interpreting performance. The deeper they emotionally engaged with teacher feedback, the better they performed in interpreting. The students reported that they felt encouraged, motivated, confident, moved, happy, and upset upon receiving teacher feedback. In addition, student engagement with teacher feedback was subject to the influence of various factors, which included effectiveness of teacher feedback, motives of learning, after-class practice, learning ability and skill, students’ perceptions of the teacher, students’ attitudes toward learning, confidence in interpreting, peer influence, and task difficulty. Both extrinsic and intrinsic motives for learning interpreting were found significantly correlated with the extent of the students’ engagement with teacher feedback, but extrinsic motives had a stronger correlation with it. The students’ engagement with teacher feedback was more likely to be driven by the desire of developing abilities and career. They believed that effective teacher feedback in interpreting classrooms should be encouraging, specific, objective, and more timely. They were more likely to engage with such teacher feedback that can acknowledge their strengths and progress, point out their problems directly, and provide individualized suggestions for improvement.
This study has made some significant contributions. Firstly, it investigated learner engagement with teacher feedback in interpreting classrooms, where students may encounter many challenges and negative feelings. Secondly, it revealed that the emotional component of feedback practice in interpreting classrooms is important and should not be neglected. More importantly, the students’ emotional engagement with teacher feedback can affect their interpreting performance. Thirdly, understanding the factors that have impacts on engagement with teacher feedback in the interpreting learning context can help teachers be more aware of students’ needs and make adjustments in teaching accordingly. This study also identified the types of teacher feedback that are helpful in facilitating student engagement from the perspective of interpreting learners. These findings can provide pedagogical insights for interpreting teaching and inspire more exploration in the field of feedback research.
| Date of Award | 6 May 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Xiu YAN (Supervisor) |