How feedback affects emotions, performance and self-concept in mathematics

Background: Most feedback that students receive is based on their relative performance to others, but this normative type of feedback has potentially detrimental effects on students’ emotions, performance and self-concept. The effects of feedback may differ depending on student characteristics. Aims: The aims were to investigate the effects of normative feedback on math anxiety, anger, enjoyment and hope and subsequent math performance and self-concept, and the moderating role of students’ prior math achievement and self-concept. Sample: The sample consisted of 219 sixth-grade students (M_age = 12.1 years) from seven urban primary schools in the Netherlands. Method: Students were matched on their prior mathematical achievement and then randomly received either positive, negative or no feedback on a math test. Directly after the feedback, achievement emotions were assessed with an adapted version of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (Pekrun et al., 2005), and students solved six math word problems. Before and after the experiment, math self-concept was measured with a questionnaire. Results: Negative normative feedback led to higher math performance, but also to more math anxiety and less enjoyment and hope in math. Negative feedback also indirectly lowered math performance by decreasing hope, and lowered math self-concept by reducing feelings of enjoyment and hope. Positive feedback indirectly increased math self-concept by increasing feelings of hope. The impact of positive normative feedback on math performance and self-concept further differed by students’ prior math achievement and self-concept. Conclusions: Educational professionals should be aware of the effects of normative feedback on students’ achievement emotions and self-concept.