How learners’ trust in teachers shapes their feedback-seeking behaviors: A mixed-methods study

This mixed-methods study examined how learners’ competence-based and affect-based trust in their teachers predicted their feedback-seeking behaviors both directly and indirectly through their internal cost–value analyses. Questionnaire data were collected from 207 foreign language learners at a North American university, and interviews were conducted with seven participants with high vs. low levels of trust in their teachers. Multiple regression results showed that competence-based and affect-based trust predicted learners’ feedback-seeking behaviors (both monitoring and inquiry), and these relationships were mostly mediated either positively by feedback value or negatively by the self-presentation cost of feedback-seeking. Analysis of the qualitative data supported the quantitative findings, highlighting radically different concerns for students with high vs. low levels of teacher trust. Overall, the findings confirm that students’ trust in their teacher shapes students’ cognitions about the costs and benefits of feedback-seeking behavior, thereby influencing their engagement in this behavior. Theoretical and pedagogical implications have been discussed.