How Student Involvement in Rubric Formulation Correlates With Feedback-Seeking Behaviour

Abstract

This study investigated how the involvement of students in rubric criteria formation and other rubric-related metacognitive activities may increase feedback-seeking behaviour. Rubrics are helpful assessment tools, but without supportive classroom activities, they may not lead to self-regulating behaviour in students that allows for increased performance. Considering the self-determination theory, one can conclude that allowing students to contribute to the rubric formation may solve this issue. The current study has tested whether such involvement correlates with higher levels of autonomous motivation and feedback-seeking behaviour. This was done by the means of a survey asking after the students’ input in rubric criteria; whether they partook in other metacognitive activities relating to the rubric; their autonomous motivation; their display of feedback-seeking behaviour; and several control variables. Participants were students at Dutch colleges and universities. Correlation analyses and t-tests were used to determine the significance of these correlations. The findings reveal that metacognitive activities correlate with higher levels of feedback seeking, although no relationships could be found involving rubric input or autonomous motivation. The absence of these results are mostly ascribed to the limitations of the present study.