This section was generated from the literature review. Accordingly, feedback was found to be a very important aspect of learning, understanding and compliancy, and this should be clearly understood in an ODL environment. All of these aspects in the questionnaire were in particular benchmarked against the work of Cialdini (2003) and Zhang (2009) who tried to explain compliance as a specific response to the particular communication.
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After receiving requests, subjects generally use their feelings as cues for responding to the situation. It is also thought that the politer someone’s request is, the more positive emotions it elicits and this later leads to compliancy; however, the reverse is also true. The table below summarises these aspects of feedback in a learning environment and how such positive (polite) feedback generates negative or positive emotions.
Table 4.5: Summary of polite feedback on learning and compliance
N Range Minimum Maximum Mean
Std. Deviatio
n
Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Std. Error Statistic The tutor acknowledgement/criticism:
acknowledges that the student action is correct or incorrect
43 6 1 7 4.86 0.227 1.489
The tutor elaborates: explains a language fact related to the student’s action.
41 5 2 7 5 0.215 1.378
The tutor suggests actions: offers hints to
the student for the next step. 42 6 1 7 5.02 0.252 1.63
The tutor seems to understand difficulties the student might be having with his/her work.
43 6 1 7 4.88 0.254 1.665
The tutor normally recasts: when the student makes a mistake, instead of explicitly criticising the action, the tutor simply demonstrates the correct action.
42 5 2 7 4.79 0.23 1.49
The tutor encourages effort: feedback aims to elicit more effort from the student.
40 6 1 7 4.88 0.275 1.742
Consolation: consoles the student by
saying his/her errors are expected. 40 6 1 7 4.68 0.233 1.474
The tutor helps the student to build
challenging but achievable goals. 40 6 1 7 5.15 0.249 1.578
The tutor creates a safe, welcoming and
non-intimidating teaching environment. 41 6 1 7 5.17 0.277 1.773
The tutor inspires the student through
his/her polite treatment in interaction. 40 6 1 7 5.18 0.226 1.43
Through interactions, the tutor conveys
that he/she cares about the student. 38 6 1 7 5.18 0.25 1.54
The feedback provides the student with options and relates to the student’s life experiences and perspectives.
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The tutor regularly checks the student’s progress throughout to determine understanding.
39 6 1 7 4.56 0.291 1.818
The tutor takes on roles of facilitating the student in playing an active part in the learning process.
41 6 1 7 4.95 0.244 1.564
A student’s differences in individual knowledge, style and pace of learning are not usually accommodated by the tutor.
40 6 1 7 4.48 0.291 1.84
The tutor’s teaching and pedagogical practices enable the student to develop and refine critical thinking skills.
40 5 2 7 4.98 0.219 1.387
The tutor works with student towards a
common goal. 40 5 2 7 5.2 0.212 1.344
The tutor is always friendly to me 39 6 1 7 4.97 0.228 1.423
The tutor lets me make my own choices. 40 6 1 7 5.08 0.236 1.492
The tutor praises me when I do
something right. 41 6 1 7 4.88 0.242 1.552
The tutor is critical of me but interesting. 39 6 1 7 4.67 0.245 1.528
My relationship with the tutor has
improved over time. 41 6 1 7 4.61 0.254 1.626
I intend to comply with tutor requests. 41 5 2 7 5.49 0.195 1.247
I plan to act in ways that are consistent
with tutor requests. 39 6 1 7 5.38 0.264 1.648
I will make an effort to do what the tutor
asks me to do. 39 5 2 7 5.64 0.231 1.442
Valid N (listwise) 3
This section confirms the literature (Chandler, 2013) covered in chapter two that feedback in communication is very important in an ODL environment. Specifically, the percentage score of respondents who have indicated “Strongly agree” to the following aspects points to an alarming situation in ODL:
i) The tutor helps the student to build challenging but achievable goals (56%). ii) The tutor creates a safe, welcoming, and non-intimidating teaching
environment (52%).
iii) The tutor inspires the student through his/her polite treatment in interaction (12%).
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iv) Through interactions the tutor conveys that he/she cares about the student (10%).
v) The feedback provides the student with options and relates to the student’s life experiences and perspectives (9%).
vi) The tutor regularly checks students’ progress to determine understanding (7%).
vii) The tutor takes on roles that facilitate the student playing an active part in the learning process (22%).
viii)A student’s differences in individual knowledge, style and pace of learning are not usually accommodated by the tutor (69%).
ix) The tutor’s teaching and pedagogical practices enable the student to develop and refine critical thinking skills (17.2%).
Where previous research has indicated that students who receive polite feedback are more likely to increase their self-efficacy, it does not seem to be the case in the current study. The findings are in accordance with Chandler’s (2013) study. However, providing online students with an awareness of their mistakes in a timely, correct and polite manner, whether by means of explicit or implicit feedback, enhances their learning abilities. As can be seen from the responses, the effectiveness of feedback, especially polite feedback in such environments, cannot be underestimated.
4.7.1 Discussion of polite feedback on learning, and compliance
The motivation behind this section is to recognise students’ reactions to educator politeness, students’ positive feelings and compliance expectation. The findings show that lecturers and/or TAs’ polite requests and solicitations will probably inspire positive feelings rather than decreasing politeness requests. The findings also show that the literature recommends low politeness demands because the use of strong, face undermining and controlling language frequently incites negative feelings, for example outrage. This research further demonstrates that the use of positive comments during a discussion in the discussion forum and feedback letters triggers positive feelings in students and increases motivation, thus influencing them to comply. The study additionally demonstrates that positive feelings mediate the impact of request politeness on students’ compliance intent. Lecturers and/or TAs’ polite requests inspire positive feelings in students which then influence their consistence
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expectations. By contrast, strong and inconsiderate language is found to bring out negative feelings which then cause resistance.
These findings agree with the view that teachers use politeness strategies in order to elicit respect and compliance from their students. If politeness is used, students generally comply with their lecturers and/or TAs’ requests in directive speech acts and expressive speech acts. This supports Zhang’s (2009) view which suggests that the use of a high level of politeness may result in compliance. She states that making requests to students with a high level of politeness will evoke positive emotions, which will subsequently result in compliance. By contrast, if a request or utterance is issued to students with a low level of politeness it will result in negative emotions being evoked, in turn, resulting in resistance.