What Is the Purpose of Feedback?

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The purpose of feedback is to provide information and observations about a performance, a paper or another project. Teachers and employers provide feedback to students and employees to help them improve in the future.

Feedback differs from advice. Quality feedback simply lists negative and positive observations about the work. The person receiving the feedback decides how to use the information. On the other hand, advice involves giving specific suggestions on how to improve. Effective feedback is consistent to let the receiver know exactly which behaviors are desired and which are unwanted. It also includes questions or other interactions with the receiver to ensure that the feedback was properly understood.