The Effect of Immediate and Delayed Feedback in Virtual Classes on Mathematics Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills

Abstract

This research aimed to identify the effect of immediate and delayed feedback in virtual classrooms on mathematics students' higher-order thinking skills. To achieve the objective of the research, the experimental method was used. The research sample consisted of students from Mathematics Department, College of Science and Arts, Najran University in the course of Computer in Education. Fifty students were selected and distributed into two equal experimental groups randomly. The first experimental group studied the (Computer in Education) course through virtual classrooms using immediate feedback while the second experimental group studied through virtual classes using delayed feedback. The higher-order thinking skills test was used as the study instrument to collect data. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the participants in the two groups (the first and second experimental groups) in favor of the second experimental group. This indicates the effect of the delayed feedback on enhancing students’ higher-order thinking skills. Therefore, this result may contribute to the study and practice of some forms of interaction and its impact on different learning outcomes in the context of virtual classrooms during the emerging corona pandemic and the future. In light of the current result, the researchers recommended enhancing the skills of faculty members to use immediate feedback in virtual classrooms, through targeted short training sessions. Also, they should be trained in using other methods of interaction to develop students’ higher-order thinking skills and measure the extent of their impact.