3.1.2. The impact of feedback on emotions
Because feedback has an effect on emotions and emotions have
an impact on learning, we will explore more fully the influence of
feedback on emotions. To accomplish this, we will take a closer
look at the impact of positive and negative feedback on the receiver's
emotions. Research articles seldom include a clear definition
of positive and negative feedback. An exception is the work of
positive psychologists Losada and Heaphy (2004) who define
positive feedback as showing support, encouragement or appreciation,
and negative feedback as showing disapproval. We will
follow this description in this article. One might think that positive
feedback elicits positive emotions and negative feedback elicits
negative emotions. However, this is not always the case as whether
feedback arouses positive or negative emotions is not only determined
by the content of the message, but also, for example, by the
characteristics of the individual and the support from their environment
as indicated by Pekrun et al. (2002). First, receivers of
feedback construct their own perspective of reality and thus of the
feedback given and their emotions are, as a result, activating or
deactivating (Pekrun et al., 2002). For instance, a teacher might
provide feedback to a group of students on the great progress they
have made. This feedback may evoke in students a positive activating
emotion such as hope and that there is a good chance they
will pass the exams if they just keep on working as they have been.
But the same feedback may also lead to positive deactivating
emotions such as relaxation. Students may feel relaxed and decide
to take some time off. Similarly, negative emotions triggered by
feedback may be deactivating (“I give up”) or activating (“I will
show that I can do it after all”). Moreover, feedback that is meant to
be positive can be perceived as negative. For instance, when a
teacher tells a student that the essay is better than the previous
one in terms of style, the receiving student may interpret this as
meaning that the style may be better, but apparently the content is
inadequate.
Secondly, the context in which the feedback is provided may
also influence the emotions a student experiences. For instance, a
student might experience a negative deactivating emotion such as
shame as a result of a teacher's specific positive feedback on his zest
in the classroom, because his peers hold a negative evaluation
about showing zest.
Thirdly, feedback takes place within a communication process.
The emotions experienced by a person receiving feedback are also
influenced by his or her relationship with the person providing the
feedback and by the context, as stated by social psychologists
Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson (1967) in their well-known
handbook on communication. They emphasize that all communication
has a content and a relationship aspect. For instance, a student
who has a good and trusting relationship with a teacher will
experience negative feedback differently from a student who does
not trust the teacher. It is therefore not enough to make a distinction
between positive and negative feedback from the viewpoint of
the provider of feedback. The receiver of the feedback bothexperiences emotions and constructs meaning that may differ from the provider's intentions
In conclusion, feedback may elicit positive and negative activating
and deactivating emotions. These emotions will influence
learning in predictable ways. In general, positive feedback evokes
positive emotions and negative feedback negative ones. However,
as we have seen, this is not always the case, because the impact of
feedback is also determined by the context and the relationship
with the provider of the feedback. We will return to the importance
of this conclusion later in the article.