Cited by 68Student Assessment and FeedbackInnovative Teaching and Learning MethodsInnovative Teaching Methods

The effect of feedback on metacognition-a randomized experiment using polling technology

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Molin, François, Haelermans, Carla, Cabus, Sofie, Groot, Wim·2020·Computers & Education

Abstract

This study explores the effects of formative feedback on students' metacognitive skills when using feedback strategies with polling technology. Using a randomized field experiment among 633 physics students in six schools in Dutch secondary education, we study assessments with the polling technology Socrative, by dividing students into three groups. Students in the cooperative group use a combination of peer discussions and teacher feedback, while students in the individual group use teacher feedback. To compare differences in metacognitive skills, students in the control group only use Socrative, but do not receive formative feedback from either teacher or peers. The results show that there is a significant positive effect of the cooperative treatment on both metacognitive skills and motivation in comparison with the control group. We find that students with low metacognitive skills benefit significantly more from the cooperative treatment than students with high metacognitive skills. No effects are found for the individual treatment. However, girls significantly increase their metacognitive skills and are more motivated than boys, when using an individual treatment. Additionally, a mediation analysis shows that motivation partially mediates the cooperative treatment and metacognitive skills. Based on these results, we recommend a combination of peer discussions and teacher feedback in physics courses.

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  • High-quality feedback contributes to authentic learning by promoting student metacognitive skills and providing clear indicators of performance and areas for further improvement.

    “Studies have shown that high-quality feedback contributes to authentic learning by promoting student metacognitive skills, and by providing clear indicators of performance and areas for further improvement (e.g. Callender et al., 2016; Molin et al., 2020).”

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Authors
Molin, F., Haelermans, C., Cabus, S., & Groot, W.
Affiliations
  • Maastricht University (NL)
  • KU Leuven (BE)
Corresponding author
Molin, François
Venue
Computers & Education
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-07
Volume
152
Pages
103885
ISSN
0360-1315 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3014268030
Cited by
68
References
107
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 1
FWCI
13.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Computers & Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Lirias (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Student Assessment and Feedback
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
  • Social Sciences › Education › Innovative Teaching Methods
Keywords
metacognition, formative feedback, Socrative, peer discussion, teacher feedback, cooperative learning, student motivation, physics education, secondary education, gender differences, mediation analysis

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