Analyzing Written Formative Feedback: Patterns, Genre, Content and Strategies

Abstract: The aim of this essay is to analyze written formative feedback to investigate whether there are certain patterns and differences in feedback given to students with different grades. This is done to expand the knowledge about what the genre of written formative feedback looks like in a Swedish school setting and what it can mean for the students and their teachers. By applying a move-analysis developed by Mirador (2000) and a critical discourse analysis based on modality and transitivity, it has been possible to gain some information about how the social relationship between teacher and student is portrayed and maintained. This study has found that there are differences in written formative feedback depending on which grade the students are associated with. This means that the genre of written formative feedback is dependent on grades and not fully coherent. If further knowledge is gained on these differences, they can be used strategically to create a better setting for feedback reception and interpretation. Material used in this essay is written formative feedback given to 38 different students in Skåne, Sweden. The feedback is written by two different teachers at two different upper secondary schools. The material was gathered and anonymized by the students’ teachers and written consent has been given to use it in this essay.