Table 6 Alignment of findings with suggestions on how to support self-regulation in feedback
Findings | How to support SRL |
|---|---|
Medical students position themselves as passive recipients of feedback Medical students show reluctance to implement feedback that requires major changes or conflicts with personal learning beliefs | Reflective conversations to support increasing awareness of students’ role in controlling their learning Reflective conversations give students insight into their learning journey, enabling them to challenge preconceptions that limit development |
Medical students are junior learners whose self-regulation may not be as developed as postgraduate trainees, where models of feedback focus on co-construction of learning plans | Educators may need to initially lead learning plans to support incremental student engagement in developing learning plans |
When learners feel psychologically unsafe, their ability to engage cognitively is derailed | Educators must acknowledge and support emotions in feedback conversations if they wish learners to be able engage with the feedback and use it in adapting their learning via self-regulation Educators need to communicate constructively and cultivate a supportive environment where student developmental planning is central to the agenda |
When learners do not use feedback, it does not mean it has not affected them | Educators should not conflate non-implementation of feedback with no impact. Sensitive exploration of why the learner has withdrawn can support students in re-engaging |