Students' experiences of assessment and feedback engagement in digital contexts: a mixed-methods case study in upper secondary school

This study examined students' experiences of assessment and feedback engagement in digital contexts in upper secondary school through an explanatory sequential mixed-methods case study. The data material consisted of 435 survey responses and 16 individual interviews. The results indicated that the use of digital feedback was crucial for students' experiences of digital feedback engagement. The final model of the path analyses suggested that students' experiences with digital feedback engagement were dependent on several predictive and mediating variables. Multiple regression analyses suggested gender differences regarding variables predicting digital feedback engagement. Whereas a deep approach and learning from examinations were important for male students, clear goals and standards were more important for female students' digital feedback engagement. Thematic analyses of the interview data identified three themes: Grades and digital feedback; dialogic feedback interactions; and a performance-oriented assessment culture. Grades tended to reduce the relevance of digital feedback when provided at the same time and in separate learning management systems (LMSs). Opportunity for dialogic feedback interactions was considered essential to students' feedback engagement and criteria orientation, but rarely offered in digital contexts. A performance-oriented assessment culture risked outweighing focus on learning in digital contexts for some students.