From feedback-as-information to feedback-as-process: a linguistic analysis of the feedback literature

Feedback is a term used so frequently that it commonly taken there shared view about what means. However, in recent years, the notion of feedback as simply provision information to students their work has been substantially challenged and learning-centred views have articulated. This paper employs corpus linguistics approach analyse use ‘feedback’ research articles published key higher education journals on topic over two five-year periods: 2009–2013 2015–2019. Analysis focused most common noun modifiers nouns modified by ‘feedback’, verbs with object, possessors prepositions representing an action or concept ‘feedback’. Whilst analysis demonstrated transmission-focused conceptions dominate publications feedback, linguistic signifiers shift time representation away from transmission-focus towards learning-focus were evident within each grammatical relation category. The data indicate different authors refer very representations concept, proposes greater clarity needed.