AbstractsMathematics

Feedback has an important role to play in the performance of learners. This study looks to identify the challenges that the learners are faced with when the teachers provide them with feedback and the ways they would like like it to be used in order to see feedback assisting them in their learning and improve their performance. Feedback contributes a lot to assessment and has a close link with performance. The study used the qualitative approach to identify the challenges the learners experience when they receive the feedback from their teachers. The participants were sampled from grade 12 learners in the form of a focus group (seven to ten per school) and individual respondents. The m ethod used semi-structured interviews and portfolio observations to collect the data from two high schools in East London (EL) district to look at the nature of the feedback provided to learners. The data was later analysed and interpreted. It has been identified that for both schools feedback conveyed certain messages to learners such motivation to do better, a need to do better and, lastly, affirmation that the learners are on the right track or they are neglected and left to figure out how to do the tasks. The study discovered that, according to Hattie and Timperley (2007)’ there are four levels of feedback. It was found that for the task level learners from school A mainly received oral feedback which was often seen as denigrating them; however, in school B learners received both the oral and written feedback. They felt that the feedback assisted them to understand the task at hand. They also saw this as a way of building up their confidence in all the tasks they come across. Secondly, in the process level, learners in school A did not report receiving feedback at this level but only oral feedback which does not show their mistakes step by step in the task, yet in school B they reported that they got feedback from their teacher individually to help them understand the task. Thirdly, for the self regulation level, in school A there was no data to confirm this. Regarding school B, learners were being assisted by the feedback they received from their teacher and this caused them to monitor their progress. The fourth and last level is the self or personal evaluation where in school A learners were not able to evaluate themselves because they did not receive written feedback, whereas in school B learners could do that freely referring to the written comments from their teacher. The research therefore concluded that in one of the schools the four levels that the study was looking at were not all addressed and thus no meaningful feedback was given. For school B the teacher gave them the feedback which has contributed a lot in their learning. The study recommends that feedback should not be used for right or wrong answers but it must also state clearly why the learner has obtained such mark or grade and what to do to correct the wrongs. Teachers should consider that learner errors also assist them to have a broader picture on what more…