Exemplar Feedback in Essay-Based Assessment: An Analysis of Attitudes and Current Practice

Abstract

The present study explored teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of exemplar feedback in overcoming the difficulty of essay-based assessment. It, also, attempted to explore current practice of exemplar feedback and the perceived impact of exemplars on students’ affect, self-regulation, and achievement. Two hypotheses were advanced; the first predicted that the use of exemplar feedback would be welcomed by teachers and students from the five levels, be they licence first-year licence, second-year licence, third-year licence, master-one, or master-two students. The second stated that the more students gain experience in essay-based assessment, the less they will need exemplar feedback. To test these hypotheses, two online questionnaires were administrated to 250 students from all levels and18 permanent teachers. The stratified sample of students was made up of 50 students from each level to allow equal representation of students and comparison of results. The results have shown that teachers and students had positive attitudes towards the use of exemplar feedback, but they have not experienced it in full potential as its use was relatively inadequate, and it has not been applied in preparing for examinations at a large scale. In addition, students seemed to become more interested in receiving exemplar feedback as they succeeded to higher levels, except for master-two students who showed less positive attitudes about it. Both teachers and their students believed that exemplar feedback fosters students’ self-regulated learning, enables them to meet their teachers’ expectations, and enhances their achievement.