Quality of written feedback and its perception by graduate students in a private university Karachi, Pakistan

Excellence in academic performance at the graduate level requires good command on writing skills. Teachers\u27 written feedback can help students to develop their writing skills. However, several personal and contextual factors may influence the utilization of feedback by students. Understanding these factors is essential to improve the practice of giving and receiving written feedback between teachers and students respectively.Using a descriptive exploratory design, this study aimed to appraise the quality of written feedback in the graduate programmes and to ascertain students\u27 perceptions about it at a private university in Pakistan. A purposive sample of 15 participants comprised the study. The data was collected through in-depth students\u27 interviews and the teachers\u27 written comments on students\u27 assignments. The interviews were taperecorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were manually coded and categorized to assess the pattern of similarities and dissimilarities. Four categories emerged from the data analysis: variations in experiences, functions of written feedback, and characteristics of effectiveness and impact of feedback on students. Albeit, students reported variations in their experiences, the findings revealed more similarities than difference about the students\u27 perceptions about the functions and characteristics of effective feedback. The analysis of comments on students\u27 assignments indicated that the amount of feedback varied greatly. Although some feedback focused on form and style, most comments focused on the content. Moreover, the tone of comments lacked a balance in praise, criticism and suggestions. The findings have implications for the students, teachers and the university. The study highlights the importance of raising awareness among educators about the impact of written feedback on students\u27 learning. The teachers need to train to enhance the quality of their feedback. Implementing institutional policies for graduate programme may bring consistency and positively influence the teachers\u27 practices of written feedback