Assessment Feedback and Emotional Support: Insights from a Case Study of Teacher Beliefs and Practices in Remote Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic Deliang Man, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, C

Abstract

This article offers insights from a case study into teacher beliefs and practices regarding assessment feedback in remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. While previous studies have suggested that teacher feedback is useful for assessing and enhancing student learning, what we have learnt from this case study, based on interviews and feedback comments of a university lecturer, is that this lecturer gave considerable priority to exploiting feedback as emotional support for students during the period of social isolation or lockdown in response to the pandemic. It was also found that there was a subtle change in her belief as reflected in the contextual nature of assessment feedback practice: the lecturer emphasized the positive role of peer interaction despite her initial belief about students’ lack of readiness and capacities to participate in peer feedback. The foci and purposes of assessment feedback appear to have been reshaped by the pandemic. This article highlights the complex interrelationships between personal and contextual factors in feedback provision, especially during times of crisis.