The Effect of Teacher Feedback on Students' Engagement at Secondary School Level in District Mianwali, Pakistan

Abstract

This study examined the effect of teacher feedback on secondary school students' engagement in District Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan. Grounded in Hattie and Timperley's (2007) feedback model and Fredricks, Blumenfeld, and Paris's (2004) multidimensional framework of student engagement, the research investigated how different types of feedback—constructive, corrective, motivational, and evaluative—relate to students' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. A quantitative correlational design was employed. From a population of 300 secondary school students, a sample of 145 students (76 male and 69 female) was selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through a 40-item Likert-scale questionnaire that demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α ranging from .807 to .941 across subscales). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and both simple and multiple linear regression. The findings indicated that students perceived a high level of teacher feedback (M = 4.14, SD = 0.34) and reported a high level of overall engagement (M = 4.15, SD = 0.57). All four dimensions of feedback showed significant positive correlations with student engagement, with motivational feedback displaying the strongest relationship (r = .427, p < .001), followed by constructive feedback (r = .389, p < .001). Regression analysis revealed that teacher feedback significantly predicted student engagement (R² = .121), with constructive and motivational feedback emerging as the strongest predictors. Evaluative feedback, however, did not make a unique significant contribution. Both hypotheses were supported. The study concludes that feedback which is encouraging, effort-focused, and improvement-oriented has a stronger association with student engagement than purely evaluative feedback. It recommends that secondary school teachers receive training to prioritize motivational and constructive feedback strategies. The findings carry important implications for teacher professional development, school policy, and future research on feedback practices within the Pakistani educational context.