L2 master’s and doctoral students’ preferences for supervisor written feedback on their theses/dissertations

Abstract

The present study employed a qualitative research design to investigate possible differences between L2 master’s and doctoral students’ preferences for supervisor written feedback. Although the role of learners’ preferences, as a part of attitudinal engagement, has been emphasized in the literature on feedback, there are still niches in the literature that need to be occupied. One of these gaps is the examination of L2 master’s and doctoral students’ preferences for supervisor written feedback on their theses/dissertations. To bridge this research gap, the researcher interviewed 52 master’s and 21 doctoral Iranian English Language Teaching students. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified five main preferences: feedback that is clear, specific, encouraging, dialogic, and non-appropriative. The examination of interview data showed that both master’s and doctoral students expressed high levels of preference for receiving clear and encouraging feedback. A significantly higher percentage of master’s students expressed their preference for specific comments. In contrast, doctoral students exhibited heightened preferences for non-appropriative and dialogic feedback. The findings also provided insights into the underlying factors that can shape master’s and doctoral students’ preferences. Several practical implications and suggestions for further research are also discussed in this study.