Teacher cognition and practices of feedback intervention: perspectives from Chinese university EFL teachers
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: While existing research has documented a variety of feedback intervention activities, few studies have systematically examined teacher cognition and practices regarding these activities. Defining feedback intervention as teachers’ deliberate integration of pedagogical activities to enhance students’ feedback literacy, this study explored how eight Chinese university EFL teachers perceived and implemented such activities using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and the analysis of relevant artifacts. The results revealed that although participants unanimously acknowledged the necessity and potential benefits of feedback intervention, they readily endorsed activities aimed at sharpening students’ evaluative judgement and stimulating further action while dismissing cognitive guidance intended to help students appreciate feedback. Their classroom implementations were characterized by a prevalent reliance on intuitive, loosely structured approaches and sometimes a deliberate avoidance of intervention activities they themselves considered effective, exhibiting a salient cognition-practice disparity. This mismatch was largely shaped by a complex interplay of personal, student-related and contextual influences. A framework was developed to elucidate the complex interdependence between teacher cognition, practices and these multi-directional influences. The findings advocate for a fundamental reconceptualization of feedback intervention from incidental practice to intentionally designed instruction with collaborative efforts from teachers, students and institutions.
Authors: Zhenfang Xie, Wen Liu
Institution: Shandong Women’s University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,890
OpenAlex ID: W7212295482
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