Feedback -Elmadag-Ghimire2026

Grounded in Source Credibility Theory and Affective Appraisal Theory, the study proposed that students’ reactions to evaluative feedback are shaped first by emotional responses, which then influence cognitive and relational evaluations of the feedback source, ultimately affecting engagement intentions.

Specifically, the study hypothesized:

H1. Feedback valence influences students’ emotional reactions. Positive feedback increases positive emotions, whereas negative feedback reduces positive emotions.

H2. Emotional reactions influence cognitive and relational evaluations of the feedback, including perceived clarity, instructor likability, and instructor benevolence.

H3. Cognitive and relational evaluations predict students’ engagement intentions, defined as willingness to act on feedback and initiate follow up interaction.

H4. The effect of feedback valence on engagement intentions operates indirectly through emotional responses and subsequent cognitive and relational evaluations.

H5. These indirect pathways vary as a function of feedback source attribution. Students interpret AI generated and instructor generated feedback differently, particularly in negative feedback contexts.

The data were collected through an experimental design with N = 371 students.

Participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions in which they were exposed to written feedback that varied in:

• Valence
• Source attribution, instructor versus AI

After exposure, participants reported:

• Their immediate emotional reactions
• Perceptions of feedback clarity
• Relational perceptions of the source, including likability and benevolence
• Engagement intentions

All dependent variables were measured using multi item Likert type scales. The data therefore consist of condition based experimental responses with psychometric measures of emotion, cognition, relational evaluation, and behavioral intention.