Re-Visiting the Use of Behavior Theory in Graduate Education: A Comparative Study of Instructor Feedback on Graduate Student Anxiety

The purpose of this study is to improve educators' feedback mechanisms in ways that will reduce student anxiety. The relationship between graduate student anxiety levels, instructor feedback, and the effects of the use of red or green ink as instruments of feedback is examined. The sample (N = 52) comprised first year full-time and parttime MSWstudents enrolled in an introductory Research Methods course, a course in which writing assignments were submitted and returned with instructor feedback. Using the Posttest-Only Control Group Design, a 30-item questionnaire was administered measuring student perceptions of instructor feedback, ink color, and graduate student anxiety. The study found that students who were given feedback in red ink experienced higher levels of anxiety than students given feedback in green ink. Implications for social work education and reflexive approaches to student feedback are discussed. (C) 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.