Bianca Butler

Kory Gill

Marie Whitney

Quantitative Research Proposal

Every college professor has a slightly different teaching style. Classroom environment is

a large factor in the attitudes of students. Specific classroom environments make some teaching

styles more effective than others. Some professors are blunt and critical, whereas others are soft

spoken and positive. This question is worth answering because it will help the student’s succeed.

The results of this study will allow professors to create a more effective teaching environment.

Based on the research summarized below, the goal is to further investigate these findings to see

if they translate into a collegiate classroom setting.

The definition of negative feedback is a response to a person regarding, at least, one

mistake made by that particular person when they was performing a certain task. While positive

feedback is a response that a person gives a particular person to reward he or she for a job well

done (Loewen and Sheen, 2012).

B.F Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning postulates that the best way to understand

behavior is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. Operant conditioning can be

used to change the behavior of an individual through the use of reinforcement. According to

Skinner, there are three types of responses that follow behavior. A neutral operant is a response

from the environment that neither increases nor decreases the probability of a behavior being

repeated (McLeod, 2007). Reinforcers are a response from the environment that increases the

probability of a behavior being repeated (McLeod, 2007). Reinforcers can be either positive or

negative. A punisher is a response from the environment that decreases the likelihood of a

behavior being repeated (McLeod, 2007). Punishment weakens behavior. Positive reinforcement

is a way to strengthen a behavior by providing a consequence that the individual finds rewarding.

Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior because it stops or removes an unpleasant

experience (McLeod, 2007). In this study, the focus will be on hostility and positivity in the

collegiate environment. Finding the right feedback for students in the collegiate environment will

help modify their behavior. If a student receives negative feedback on a paper then that student is

less likely to make the same mistakes again. It is the goal of the student to do well in a class. We

postulate that negative feedback will increase hostility in college students. We also postulate that

positive feedback will increase positive feelings.

Attribution theory is seen as the way people understand certain situations, how the

situation affects their behavior and ability to think. In addition, this theory focuses on why

understanding individuals do the things that they do. An individual may wonder why another

person behaved the way that they did. Attribution theory was created by Fritz Heider in 1958

along with two other theorists Jones, and Weiner (University Twente, 2014).

Professors interact with students in a variety of ways. The one that we are focusing on in

this study is the way a professor gives student’s feedback about how well they do on their

homework assignments and tests. If a student is failing then the professor will tell them why they

are failing; whether it is due to a lack of understanding or not studying hard enough. Once the

student realizes why they failed the assignment or test then he or she be able to correct their

mistake to do better on the next assignment. It is the hope that the student will be more motivated

in improving his or her study habits. Professors can give feedback back in many ways. For

example, stating ‘good work’ or ‘needs work’ on a student’s assignment can be valuable

feedback for a student because it lets the student know if they are on the right track with the

assignment (Attribution Theory, 2014). Studies have shown that giving precise criticism can help

the student out because students can learn how to adapt their attributional qualities. In addition, it

can be more helpful to go into detail when commenting a student’s paper. If a professor knows

that the student is giving their all then they can open up a channel of communication so that the

student succeeds. Professors need to understand what is causing the student to not do well. For

example, a professor has to make sure that it is the lack of effort that is causing the problem, not

another exterior stressor. Scholars such as Martin Covington believe that when professors

encourage students to give their all, some of the students may believe that the professor may

have little belief in them for them to give their all. Overall, “helping students to attribute their

failure not to use appropriate strategies or to their lack specific content knowledge may be more

appropriate than assuming students are not trying” (Attribution Theory, 2014).

It is also important for professors to give different degrees of feedback to students. For example

if a student receives a report card and their grades went from a “D” to a “C” then professor will

more than likely tell the student that they are doing a good job. This accomplishment can be

important to the student because the student will more than likely work harder to get a higher

grade (Attribution Theory, 2014). A little bit of encouragement from an authority figure can go a

long way towards increasing student morale.

Goal-setting theory is the idea that various situations lead people to accept and achieve

their performance goals. Locke is the first person to conduct research on this communication

area. He published his first article on this theory in 1968. The method that Locke used to conduct

this particular research was to develop a questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire then were

turned into percentages. There was one main result that came from the conclusion of Locke's

research. According to Locke's findings, employees viewed negative feedback as fair if it was

clear and constructive (Chory & Westerman).

The findings from the study conducted by Locke regarding Goal-Setting Theory cannot

be seen as directly correlated to this study. However, there are several similarities between the

two. One similarity is that Locke’s research does relate to negative feedback. The difference

between the two is that Locke’s study uses workers and supervisors instead of college students

and teachers. As we are conducting our research, we will be utilizing questionnaires as a method

of understanding how college students react to the negative feedback. Locke’s research analyzed

251 people, which gives this team an idea of approximately how many people we will need for

our study. Another thing that can be taken from Locke’s research and applied to our study, is the

concept of negative feedback dimensions. This will help us place our findings into categories

that are then calculated by percentages. The four dimensions of negative feedback are clarity,

constructiveness, cognizance, and consistency (Geddes & Linnehan, 1996). Furthermore,

Locke’s study evaluates performance feedback and that is precisely what we are doing in our

study. According to Geddes, performance feedback is communication with another person

evaluating the other person’s performance on task. This could be used as a tool to motivate the

other person to get better at their jobs. This helps people know how there are performing on a

particular task as well (1993). Moving on, positive feedback along with negative feedback was

mentioned in the study. However, only the negative feedback was assessed in the study. We are

focusing on negative and positive feedback and because of this fact we will examine both of the

dimensions of positive and negative feedback.

Based on the above research we have constructed two hypotheses.

H1 In classroom situations, primarily negative feedback will be most effective.

H2 In classroom situations, primarily negative feedback will be most effective.

Qualitative Research Proposal

There hasn’t been a lot of specific research regarding the effects of feedback on college

students. This study looks to find an explanation of how a student feels when he or she receives

an “A” paper with negative feedback on it. Many students feel confusion because they feel that if

they received an “A” paper then there should be nothing wrong with their paper. This question is

worth answering because if professors understand the way the feedback effects student’s then

they will become more effective. The early direction for this study is to find weaknesses in the

project details and further investigate the role of negative feedback the lives of college students

Goal-setting theory is the idea that various situations lead individuals to accept performance

goals. Locke is the first person to conduct research on this communication area. His article was

published in 1968. The method that was used in this particular research was a questionnaire. The

main result that came from the research is employees viewed negative feedback as fair if it was

clear and constructive (Chory & Westerman).

Operant conditioning suggests that the best way to understand behavior is to look at the

causes of an action and its consequences. Operant conditioning, developed by B.F. Skinner, is

used as an attempt change the behavior of an individual through the use of reinforcement.

According to Skinner, three types of responses follow behavior. Neutral operants, reinforcers,

and punishers are the three responses. A neutral operant is a response from the environment that

neither increases nor decreases the probability of a behavior being repeated (McLeod, 2007).

Reinforcers are a response from the environment that increases the probability of a behavior

being repeated (McLeod, 2007). Reinforcers are either positive or negative. A punisher is a

response from the environment that decreases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated

(McLeod, 2007). Punishment weakens behavior. Positive reinforcement is a way to strengthen a

behavior by providing a consequence that the individual finds rewarding. Negative reinforcement

strengthens behavior because it stops or removes an unpleasant experience (McLeod, 2007).

Broadly, this study focuses on the effects of feedback on college students.

Attribution theory is seen as the way people understand certain situations, how the

situation affects their behavior and ability to think. In addition, this theory focuses on why

understanding individuals do the things that they do. An individual may wonder why another

person behaved the way that they did. Attribution theory was created by Fritz Heider in 1958

along with two other theorists Jones, and Weiner (University Twente, 2014).

Heider puts Attribution theory into two categories: internal and external attribution.

Internal attribution is when an individual is motivated to do something, but is questioned about

their motive. This is where the individual answers why they did what they did. An individual

must give as much positive feedback as possible. Overall, attitudes and motives plays a huge part

in the person itself. For example, if an individual has the highest score on a test in their class. He

or she will believe that they got the high score because they have the ability to get good scores

on tests. He or she may believe that factors played on part in them getting a good grade and

because of this it boost their confidence. By having high confidence level an individual will

receive another good grade on the next test (Attribution Theory, 2010).

In external attribution an individual will be curious about their surrounding and may want

to better understand what is going on around them. When an individual does this they go out and

try to find reason for why something occurred when they use external factors. For instance, if a

student receives a low score on a test and they believe it was because of the pen. Not only that,

but they believe that the classmate who checked their answers was in a grumpy mood and they

associate the reason why they failed with external factors (Attribution Theory, 2010).

Goal-setting theory is the idea that various situations lead individuals to accept performance

goals. Locke is the first person to conduct research on this communication area. His article was

published in 1968. The method that was used in this particular research was a questionnaire. The

main result that came from the research is employees viewed negative feedback as fair if it was

clear and constructive (Chory & Westerman).

Admittedly, Locke’s research does not directly relate to the research that is being

conducted in this study. However, both studies do involve the utilization of negative feedback.

The difference between the two is that Locke’s study uses workers and supervisors instead of

college students and teachers. Locke’s research analyzed 251 people. In our study, we will need

approximately 300 people to strengthen reliability and help validate the research. Furthermore,

this study evaluates performance feedback and that is precisely what we are doing in our study.

According to Geddes, performance feedback is communication with another person evaluating

task performance. This could be used as a tool to motivate the other person to get better at their

job. This helps people know how they are performing on a particular task as well (1993).

Moving on, positive feedback along with negative feedback were mentioned in the study but

only the negative feedback was assessed in the study. We are focusing on negative and positive

feedback and because of that fact we will examine both of the dimensions of positive and

negative feedback.

In this study, in-depth interviews will be given, examined, and used to develop specific

findings. The responses that the participants give will be evaluated closely. For this study, we

need to increase the amount of participants to strengthen reliability of the research. This will

allow us to strengthen the validation of our research as well. The study will compare facial

expression and body language to the verbal responses in the interviews. Categorizing five

different facial expressions and examining the participants while they are given negative and

positive feedback will help us to understand the way that the feedback is being received by the

students. The five different facial expressions that will be evaluated are shame, anger, happiness,

fear, and sadness. The comparison of facial expressions and student responses to the

questionnaire will help strengthen reliability as well as help validate the research.

Theory of operant conditioning ,Attribution theory , and Goal setting theory (as defined

above) all are necessary for our research for both our quantitative and qualitative research

because is is good idea to figure out what type of feedback works by using theory of operant and

conditioning. This builds on Attribution theory because with just theory of operant conditioning

you may know how to condition people. However, we have to know under what conditions

students responds that particular way. The first two theories will then lead to us being able to

find out what type of feedback motivate students at that particular point. We will be able to do

this by applying the goal-setting theory.

Based on the above research we have formulated two research questions

R1 How does negative feedback effect college students?

R2 How does positive feedback affect college students?