‘All my effort in writing the first draft was wasted!’: Engagement with supervisory feedback on undergraduate theses

Abstract

This multiple case study explores how and to what extent Chinese English-major students engage affectively, behaviorally, and cognitively with supervisory feedback on their English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) undergraduate theses, as well as how motivation and second language (L2) proficiency may mediate their engagement. Data were collected from three students through stimulated recalls, interviews, thesis drafts with supervisors’ feedback comments, and audio recordings of supervisor–student conferences. Qualitative data analyses revealed that the three participants differed markedly in their engagement with supervisory feedback on their undergraduate theses. Driven by different motivations and mediated by their levels of English proficiency, the students took different stances and employed different cognitive strategies in their responses to the supervisory feedback. Based on these findings, pedagogical suggestions are proposed for enhancing student engagement with supervisory feedback in the Chinese context of higher education.