Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to support the idea that effective feedback offers an opportunity to promote students’ academic resilience, such as a positive attitude, optimism, ability to regulate emotions and see failure as a form of helpful feedback. In order to scaffold students’ assessment feedback and effectively support academic resilience, the paper argues that there is a need for a better understanding of the nature and usefulness of feedback, and the feelings about feedback. The various perspectives of resilience, its risk and protective factors were put together as a framework for this study. The study design followed a qualitative approach. Data was collected from eight fourth year cohort of students majoring in Life orientation sampled purposively in the Department of Education Studies at a rural university in South Africa. The paper further targeted six full time lecturers at the same Department as the sampled students. Lecturers selected for participation in the research have more than 5 years of lecturing experience and previous exposure to and engagement with different feedback models. The research tools used were focus group interviews for both students and lecturers in a moderated setting. The focus group interview questions were narrowly tailored to the promotion of students’ academic resilience. The findings from both participants’ samples ensured a consolidated approach to the study. The study links opinions of both sample sets to provide an over-arching view of feedback practices in Education Studies in relation to the promotion of students’ academic resilience. Both lecturers and students agreed on the nature and usefulness of feedback, and students’ feelings about feedback. Lecturers aim to provide more support and guidance to students through engaging with feedback, to promote greater academic resilience.

Keywords: Assessment, Feedback, Academic resilience, Perspectives, Risk factors, Protective factors