Self-Efficacy and Writing

I have recently taken up researching the effects of feedback on student’s writing and the best practices that have emerged in recent studies for as an English teacher, I feel it is my responsibility to understand how feedback affects my students and how to best give feedback to give my students the best education possible. Feedback is one the many, and perhaps most common, ways in which English teachers and instructors communicate with students. Most often feedback is directly at the students’ writing, commenting on what they did well and what they could improve on. However, making it as broad as that does not do justice to how complex feedback truly is. To be completely honest for a moment, I did not expect to see feedback being broken down in the manner in which it is based on the research I completed. I understood the basic fundamentals of what it was, what it entailed and how to put it into practice, but never would I expect a deeper science base and an expansive number of professionals conducting studies on feedback implementation in the classroom.

With this all in mind, what was most interesting is how feedback is so connected to the concept of self-efficacy. I knew such a connection existed, as previous studies on this subject matter proved as much, however the professor whom is guiding my research more or so implied, that one can be studied without the other (thereby allowing me to focus more on practical forms of feedback and ignore most of the theory behind). My research proved otherwise.

Self-efficacy can be defined as one’s own belief in their abilities to complete tasks and accomplish goals. Feedback is proven to be so intertwined with self-efficacy that separating the two became very difficult, nigh impossible, while I conducted my research. This is because a teacher can inspire or cripple a student’s self confidence with the feedback provided. This is because of the theory of mediators, which is essentially, is how we communicate. Questions posed that confuse rather than clarify can be wound our self-esteem and we lose hope. Yet, praise and commendations can stimulate it, as we know we accomplished something.

Feedback becomes so much more than what we say; it also becomes how we say it. Feedback serves as the connecting device between writing and self-efficacy as well. Writing is practically dependent on self-efficacy. Can you recall the last time you felt as though a major writing assignment felt like a burden? That is because of a relative lack of self-efficacy. It drives the writing process, and subsequently, when teachers give feedback, there are studies that prove teachers can improve that. If teachers can tap into that well of potential, writing will no longer feel like a chore or some arduous task. It will become more natural, easier to teach and more fun to engage in. Students can better develop their abilities and become better learners. Isn’t that what teaching is all about?