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Article published In: FORUM
Vol. 22:2 (2024) ► pp.182–205

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Evaluating written versus audio feedback in formative assessment of consecutive interpreting

An exploratory qualitative investigation

ORCiD logo with link | National University of Singapore
 | Xiamen University
Published online: 5 August 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.23025.han
Abstract
In formative assessment, teacher feedback can enhance student learning. To reap such benefits, educators need to deliver feedback in such a way that arouses students’ learning interest, invites their active engagement, and inspires follow-up action. We report on an exploratory qualitative study that compares two modalities of teacher feedback, namely, written versus audio feedback, provided to a group of 41 students in a consecutive interpreting course. Our qualitative content analysis of the students’ responses to the questionnaire reveals 25 lower-order themes, categorized into seven higher-order themes concerning inherent properties (informational, structural, and prosodic) and consequential aspects (communicative, functional, affective, and metacognitive) of written/audio feedback. Overall, the results seem to show the students’ preference for the audio feedback, because of its informativeness, specificity, interactivity, and affective/cognitive benefits. We discuss these results in terms of students’ learning gains, learning style, task-feedback alignment, and relationship between feedback specificity and modality for interpreter training.
Résumé
Dans l’évaluation formative, les retours des enseignants peuvent améliorer l’apprentissage des élèves. Pour récolter de tels bénéfices, les éducateurs doivent fournir des retours de manière à susciter l’intérêt des étudiants pour l’apprentissage, à les inviter à s’engager activement et à inspirer des actions de suivi. Nous rapportons une étude qualitative exploratoire qui compare deux modalités de retour des enseignants, à savoir le retour écrit versus le retour audio, fournies à un groupe de 41 étudiants dans un cours d’interprétation consécutive. Notre analyse qualitative du contenu des réponses des étudiants au questionnaire révèle 25 thèmes d’ordre inférieur, classés en sept thèmes d’ordre supérieur concernant les propriétés inhérentes (informationnelles, structurelles et prosodiques) et les aspects conséquents (communicatifs, fonctionnels, affectifs et métacognitifs) des retours écrits/audio. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats semblent montrer une préférence pour les retours audio, en raison de leur caractère informatif, spécifique, interactif et des avantages affectifs/cognitifs. Nous discutons de ces résultats en termes de gains d’apprentissage des étudiants, de style d’apprentissage, d’alignement tâche-retour et de la relation entre la spécificité du retour et la modalité pour la formation des interprètes.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Written versus audio feedback in higher education
    • 2.2Feedback in translator and interpreter training
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Background to the study
    • 3.2Research questions
    • 3.3Research design
      • 3.3.1Participants
      • 3.3.2Assessment criteria
      • 3.3.3Formative teacher feedback
      • 3.3.4Data collection
      • 3.3.5Data analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Potential trends and patterns
    • 4.2Lower-order themes concerning the audio feedback
    • 4.3Lower-order themes concerning the written feedback
    • 4.4Suggestions for the feedback practice
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (27)
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Cited by one other publication

Chen, Qionglu & Wei Su
2025. Comparing students’ reception of AI-based video feedback and written feedback: A Q methodological study. Innovations in Education and Teaching International ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

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