The role of supervisors’ feedback in improving master’s students’ thesis writing in Algeria

Feedback is a valuable tool that students use to gain insights into their skills, abilities, and areas for improvement, ultimately helping them enhance their academic writing. While numerous studies have explored feedback in various contexts, often focusing on either students’ or supervisors’ perspectives, there remains a notable gap in Algerian research concerning feedback and supervisory practices in postgraduate thesis writing. Thus, the present study addresses that gap by investigating the role of supervisory feedback in developing postgraduate students’ thesis writing, incorporating both student and supervisor perspectives. The participants included twenty-one second-year Master’s students, nine supervisors, and four former Master’s students who had completed their degrees in the English department at an Algerian university. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis with NVivo software. Employing a qualitative approach, this study reveals that the supervisory feedback has both developmental and motivational impacts on Algerian students’ Master’s thesis writing (MTW). It suggests that, in order to get a clear picture of this impact, supervisors should take into account crucial elements such as the students’ needs and expectations regarding feedback. This includes fostering motivation and self-confidence and encouraging students to improve their MTW. The results of the study demonstrate a positive influence of supervisors’ feedback, which was manifested in improved thesis writing performance. The study discovered that students perceive feedback as essential due to its effectiveness in their research and thesis writing. Similarly, feedback was seen by the supervisors as crucial for guiding the students through the research and writing process, and as a means of support in encouraging and consolidating learning. These findings contribute to the broader literature on supervision, feedback, and academic writing and have implications for supervisory practices, training programs, and curriculum development in Algerian universities.