Beyond Grades and Red Ink: Transforming Vocational English Learning through Process-Oriented Feedback for SDG 4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63230/jocsis.3.4.330Keywords:
Formative Assessment, Project-Based Learning, SDG 4: Quality Education, Teacher Feedback, Vocational High SchoolAbstract
Objective: To investigate how vocational high school students in Indonesia perceive teacher feedback during project-based English learning and what this implies for formative assessment practices that support Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and, by extension, learners’ readiness for decent work (SDG 8). Method: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Data were collected through a closed-ended questionnaire administered to 35 eleventh-grade Visual Communication Design students at a vocational high school in Sidoarjo, East Java, and semi-structured interviews with 10 purposively selected participants; interview data were analyzed thematically. Results: Students perceived teacher feedback as clear, specific, and aligned with project goals (97.1% agreement); feedback functioned as a cognitive scaffold for critical thinking and self-regulated learning; continuous feedback strengthened speaking, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation; and feedback quality shaped students’ emotional engagement and motivation. Novelty: By documenting process-oriented, goal-aligned feedback as a mechanism that simultaneously builds language competence and career-relevant self-regulation, the study offers vocational-education stakeholders an evidence-based, generalizable feedback framework that links classroom formative assessment directly to inclusive quality education and workforce-readiness targets under the SDGs.
References
Akolgo, D. R., Robiullah, A., & Ramirez, G. (2025). The emotional and motivational costs of poorly delivered academic feedback. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1585447. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1585447
Amalia, S. I. Y., Degeng, P. D. D., & Razali, K. A. (2024). EFL students’ perspectives toward project-based learning in vocational high schools. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 12(1), 226–239. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v12i1.9740
Arteaga, B. A. C., Cordero, J. L., Álava, J. V. P., Quiñonez, L. S., & Burgos, N. D. P. (2024). Impact of feedback on self-regulation and autonomous learning skills. Seminars in Medical Writing and Education, 3, 637. https://doi.org/10.56294/mw2024.637
Asrowi, A., Maulana, I., Budiarto, M. K., & Qodr, T. S. (2025). Assessing critical thinking skills in vocational school students during hybrid learning. Journal of Education and Learning, 19(1), 232–240. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v19i1.21754
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall.
Brandmo, C., & Gamlem, S. M. (2025). Students’ perceptions and outcome of teacher feedback: A systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1572950. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1572950
Câmpean, A., Bocoș, M., Roman, A., Rad, D., Crișan, C., Maier, M., Tăușan-Crișan, L., & Triff, Z. (2024). Examining teachers’ perception on the impact of positive feedback on students. Education Sciences, 14(3), 257. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030257
Charalampous, A., & Darra, M. (2024). The impact of teacher feedback on non-cognitive aspects of student performance in higher education: A review. International Research in Education, 12(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.5296/ire.v12i2.22001
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Ene, E., & Yao, J. (2021). How does that make you feel: Students’ affective engagement with feedback. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 25, 66–83. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2021.25.04
Ferdaus, S. A., & Novita, D. (2023). The implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum in English subject at a vocational high school in Indonesia. Briliant, 8(2), 297. https://doi.org/10.28926/briliant.v8i2.1201
Gan, Z., An, Z., & Liu, F. (2021). Teacher feedback practices, student feedback motivation, and feedback behavior: How are they associated with learning outcomes? Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 697045. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.697045
Hamidi, H., Babajani Azizi, D., & Kazemian, M. (2022). The effect of direct oral corrective feedback on motivation to speak and speaking accuracy of EFL learners. Education and Self Development, 17(3), 05. https://doi.org/10.26907/esd.17.3.05
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487
Liebenberg, L., Jamal, A., & Ikeda, J. (2020). Extending youth voices in a participatory thematic analysis approach. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920934614
Linuwih, E. R., Setiawan, S., & Munir, A. (2024). Student engagement with teacher written feedback in online EFL writing context. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(7), 2186-2192. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1407.26
Mafulah, S., & Basthomi, Y. (2023). “I am scared of my teacher”: Students’ emotional responses towards teacher’s feedback. In Proceedings of the 20th AsiaTEFL-68th TEFLIN-5th iNELTAL Conference. Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-054-1_5
Maharma, A. H., & Abusa’aleek, R. (2022). Teachers’ feedback and students’ academic achievement. International Education Studies, 15(6), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v15n6p65
Markham, T. (2012). Project based learning design and coaching guide. HeartIQ Press.
McGrath, S., & Yamada, S. (2023). Skills for development and vocational education and training: Current and emergent trends. International Journal of Educational Development, 102, 102853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102853
Megayanti, T., Busono, T., & Maknun, J. (2020). Project-based learning efficacy in vocational education: Literature review. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 830(4), 042075. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/830/4/042075
Monteiro, V., Carvalho, C., & Santos, S. (2021). Creating a supportive classroom environment through effective feedback. Frontiers in Education, 6, 661736. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.661736
Ponomariovienė, J., Jakavonytė-Staškuvienė, D., & Torterat, F. (2025). The role of teacher feedback in competency-based education. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 16(2), 383–414. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2025.3.383.414
Putri, N. V. W., Munir, A., & Anam, S. (2021). Students’ perceptions of teacher feedback in EFL English class and their self-regulated learning. Journal on English as a Foreign Language, 11(1), 42–60. https://doi.org/10.23971/JEFL.V11I1.2237
Shen, B. (2024). The practice of project-based learning in a management information systems course. Higher Education Research, 9(6), 148-153. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20240906.11
United Nations General Assembly. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development (A/RES/70/1). United Nations.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Yaccob, N. S., Yunus, M. M., & Hashim, H. (2022). The integration of global competence into Malaysian English as a second language lessons for quality education (Fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal). Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 848417. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.848417
Munasih, D. S., Prastikawati, E. F., Wiyaka, W., & Adeoye, M. A. (2024). Writing assessment literacy: Investigating EFL teachers’ writing assessment practices in a vocational school. Educalingua, 2(1), 12–24. https://doi.org/10.26877/educalingua.v2i1.411
Wardana, I. K., Joni, D. A. A. W., & Arsana, A. A. P. (2025). Factors affecting teacher feedback on writing achievement, self-efficacy, and self-regulation in EFL context. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(3), 596–611. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v14i3.73964
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2027 Journal of Current Studies in SDGs
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
