Feedback seeking by first-year Chinese international students: Understanding practices and challenges

Feedback seeking is an emerging focus in higher education and writing assessment research. Feedback may be sought directly from others or through observing cues in learning contexts. Existing research suggests feedback seeking may be essential to student feedback literacy, but few studies explore this issue in relation to specific high-need populations. This study examined Chinese international students’ practices and perceptions of feedback seeking in writing assessments during their first years at an Australian university. Thirty-seven participants from three faculties participated in 14 individual interviews and seven focus groups. Data were analysed using thematic analysis protocols. Encountered challenges were grouped into epistemological, ontological, and practical dimensions. Findings indicate that students drew upon various sources for inquiry and monitoring at the stages of planning and preparation, revising before submission, and reacting after getting results. Implications include the importance of creating low-threshold opportunities for facilitating learners’ feedback seeking. Findings also suggest that educators’ enhanced understanding of students' educational identity and epistemological beliefs may improve students’ feedback-seeking practices.