Feedback and year level effects on university students’ self-efficacy and emotions during self-assessment: positive impact of rubrics vs. instructor feedback

Abstract This study explored the effects of three factors (feedback occasion, type of feedback, and year level) on self-efficacy and emotions when university students self-assessed. 126 higher education students from three different year levels self-assessed their performance on a writing task two times (before and after receiving feedback). Self-efficacy and emotions were measured via self-report at three times (a baseline before self-assessment, after self-assessment without feedback, and after self-assessment with feedback). Feedback was provided in one of three conditions (rubric vs. instructor’s feedback vs. combined) to which the participants were randomly assigned. In general, rubric feedback showed the strongest effects on self-efficacy and emotions (i.e. increased positive and decreased negative emotions). Year level was significant for self-efficacy, showing that the effect of university schooling experience enhances this variable. This study shows the impact that feedback has on self-efficacy and emotions while self-assessing, with an especially positive effect for rubric feedback.