Lecturers’ achievement goals as predictors for the processing and use of student feedback

Given that the academic success of students is dependent upon their lecturers’ didactical competencies and expert knowledge, it is important to know which factors facilitate and improve professional learning and, thereby, the competence and knowledge gains of instructors. Receiving students’ feedback on the teaching quality is an important informal learning opportunity for the academic staff. However, previous research has shown that merely receiving results of teaching evaluations will not lead to improvement of the teaching quality. Teaching evaluations can contribute to the quality of teaching only if it is processed by the lecturers and used for improvement of teaching. According to models of self-regulated learning and achievement goal theory, motivational goals can be assumed to influence self-regulated learning behavior. Therefore, we investigate achievement goals as predictors of the processing and use of student feedback. According to previous research, learning goals (the pursuit to enhance one’s competencies) especially should predict the usage of learning opportunities. We propose that learning goals are positively associated with quantitative learning behavior (the time spent processing their teaching evaluation feedback, intent to act on it, and the number of concrete intentions) because learning goals enhance deeper learning. Performance goals are assumed to influence lecturers’ comparison behavior. In a selection paradigm we will investigate, how achievement goals influence lecturers’ behavior in the feedback situation. Therefore, we will conduct a multi-method longitudinal study and question around 200 lecturers. First results of this study will be discussed