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Feedback: A Call for Dialogue, Not Just Data or Research

Earlier today I came across a blog post by Carl Hendrick, who discussed a study on secondary students’ engagement with feedback. The study, published in Contemporary Educational Psychology, revealed some uncomfortable truths about how students actually interact with the feedback they receive. Researchers found that, of 937 German students who were given feedback on their English writing tasks, 20% ignored the feedback entirely, while 47% showed no improvement despite revising their work. In total, this means roughly two-thirds of students either disregarded the feedback or failed to benefit from it.

These findings, while sobering, highlight something that many teachers have likely sensed for a long time. Feedback, in its current form, often feels like part of a performative process. It’s carefully choreographed to meet external expectations—what parents, students, school leaders, and governors want to see, and what can be tracked through reports or metrics. As a result, feedback becomes something measurable rather than something that truly supports student learning.

The study makes it clear that there is no simple solution. Students’ engagement with feedback is influenced by many factors, including gender, cognitive abilities, and intrinsic motivation. These are all important insights for teachers, and research like this is incredibly valuable in guiding our understanding of feedback effectiveness.

However, as useful as research is, it cannot replace the need for genuine, open conversation between educators. We’ve known for years that feedback, as it’s currently done in schools, is out of balance in terms of workload and effectiveness. Feedback has become a task to tick off rather than a tool to promote deep learning. And yet, we continue with this approach, even when we know it’s not working as well as it should.

This is where I think we need to be cautious about relying solely on quick fixes—such as AI or comparative judgment—as proposed in some discussions. While these approaches may work in certain contexts, they can easily distract us from the real conversation we need to have about the purpose and value of feedback. Instead of focusing on solutions that address the symptoms, let’s step back and ask: how can we create a system where feedback genuinely serves learning, not just reporting or accountability?

The real challenge lies in shifting our focus from data and metrics back to the students themselves. The needs of the children we’re preparing for an uncertain and challenging future must be at the heart of this conversation. We need to ask ourselves: what role should feedback play in this journey, and how can we ensure that the feedback we provide truly helps them grow?

Research is an essential tool, but it should not prevent us from sitting down with each other—teachers, students, and school leaders—and stepping into meaningful dialogue. We need to engage with one another and explore what works, what doesn’t, and why. Only then can we begin to find a balance where feedback becomes a powerful, supportive part of the learning process, not just a task to complete or a metric to measure. I love Carl’s work but what I truly wish for is an open and respectful conversation where we can reimagine feedback together.

Just as an idea, what’s the conversation we ought to have? I think it’s time to move next to data and research and focus on dialogue.