Giving students feedback on their work is an essential part of the learning process, but students perceive feedback in different ways. Several studies show that cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds may influence how students perceive and respond to feedback. However, less is known about how students’ backgrounds influence their preferred types of feedback and their responses to different forms of feedback. To address this, we conducted a broad survey in which students selected their preferred types of feedback and rated several feedback examples. We were particularly interested in how comments based on Growth Mindset principles were viewed by students from different backgrounds. The results show that female students preferred written and encouraging feedback, while male students desired spoken and direct comments. Undergraduate students responded positively to growth-oriented feedback, but master’s and doctoral students expected more detailed feedback. Cultural background was also important, with students from collectivist regions preferring individualized and supportive feedback. First-generation students showed positive reactions to growth-mindset feedback, whereas this effect was less visible among continuing-generation students. These findings highlight the need for diverse types of feedback and the importance of adapting feedback to different student groups.
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