Digging, Displaying, and Translating: Content-Centric Feedback, Powered by Metaphors

Abstract

While previous studies have noted how instructors comment on students’ content, more attention should be given to how instructors give feedback on abstract issues of content, detail, and information. In this study, I interviewed 20 instructors about feedback they had given on students’ resumes and cover letters; I used critical discourse analysis to code the interviews. Instructors’ mentions of content, detail, and information formed six major themes: providing and expressing information, orienting audiences, seeing information, finding information, considering detail, and revising content. Instructors often framed as a deficit, for example, a lack of information; however, when students included appropriate or meaningful content, instructors praised students. Better understanding how instructors teach students to understand, analyze, and communicate information connects students with the types of problem-solving skills necessary for today’s changing workplaces.