English Focus: Journal of English Language Education
Vol 9 No 2 (2026)

Understanding Feedback in Academic Contexts: Students’ Perceptions and Its Role in Improving Learning Outcomes

Hidayat, Muhammad (Unknown)
Nurmahati, Izza Aisyah (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jul 2026

Abstract

Feedback in higher education has been widely recognized as a crucial component in supporting students’ learning and academic development; however, its effectiveness largely depends on how it is perceived and utilized by students as well as how it is delivered by lecturers. This study aims to explore how students define feedback based on their learning experiences and examine its role in improving their understanding of subject matter. This qualitative descriptive design involved 33 students from the English Department in a higher education context. Data were collected through online survey and analyzed using thematic content analysis to identify key patterns and themes in students’ responses. The findings reveal that students conceptualize feedback in three main ways: as performance evaluation, as academic scaffolding, and as effective support. Furthermore, feedback was found to play a significant role in enhancing students’ understanding by clarifying concepts, identifying errors and areas for improvement, and supporting deeper comprehension. However, its effectiveness is strongly influenced by the quality, clarity, and method of delivery. In conclusion, feedback should be designed and delivered as a clear, constructive, and supportive process that addresses both cognitive and emotional aspects of learning to promote meaningful learning experiences in higher education.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

efj

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

English Focus was launched with the intention to make quality research output available for scholars in the field of language education. Although the focus is primarily on research on language education, we will also consider papers in other areas of applied linguistics such as language testing as ...