Student perceptions of hidden messages in teacher written feedback

Students take away a variety of messages from teachers' responses to their writing, although not all the information conveyed is explicit or related to the work at hand. In fact, both the content of this feedback and the ways they respond can lead students to interpret their tutors' beliefs about their subject, about learning, and about the value of literacy in their disciplines. Drawing on a series of interviews with 24 first and second year students at a Hong Kong university, this paper seeks to identify what these messages are and the consequences they can have for students' attitudes to their field of study, to disciplinary writing, to learning and to teacher-student relationships. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.