The Role of Feedback in Early Childhood Development: A Systematic Review of Cognitive, Social-Emotional, and Motivational Impacts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64850/jecep.v1i2.143Keywords:
early childhood, feedback, growth mindset, metacognition, social-emotional developmentAbstract
Feedback represents a fundamental pedagogical mechanism with substantial impact on the holistic development of young children. This systematic review analyzes the role of feedback in shaping cognitive, social-emotional, and motivational developmental domains in children aged 0-8 years. Synthesis of 35 empirical studies demonstrates that high-quality feedback, characterized by specificity, timeliness, process orientation, and developmental appropriateness, yields significant improvements in metacognitive skills (d=0.52), emotional regulation (d=0.48), and intrinsic motivation (d=0.61). Analysis reveals that process feedback is superior to person feedback in developing growth mindset (β=0.43, p<0.001) and academic resilience. However, contextual factors such as child temperament characteristics, cultural norms, and teacher-student relationship quality moderate feedback effectiveness. Practical implications include the need for systematic professional development programs for educators, emphasizing culturally responsive, evidence-based feedback techniques. This research contributes theoretically by integrating perspectives from cognitive psychology, developmental theory, and early childhood pedagogy to construct a comprehensive model of feedback mechanisms in early learning.
Downloads
References
Aumann, L., Puca, R. M., & Gasteiger, H. (2025). Effects of early childhood teacher knowledge and feedback on children’s early mathematical development in German kindergartens. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01859-1
Bangert-Drowns, R. L., Kulik, C. L. C., Kulik, J. A., & Morgan, M. (1991). The instructional effect of feedback in test-like events. Review of Educational Research, 61(2), 213–238. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543061002213
Bennett-Pierre, G., Chernuta, T., Altamimi, R., & Gunderson, E. A. (2024). Effects of praise and “easy” feedback on children’s persistence and self-evaluations. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 247, 106032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106032
Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78(1), 246–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x
Blair, C., & Raver, C. C. (2015). School readiness and self-regulation: A developmental psychobiological approach. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 711–731. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015221
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. Basic Books.
Boylan, F., Barblett, L., & Knaus, M. (2023). Design principles for fostering a growth mindset in the early years. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2023.2251924
Braund, H., DeLuca, C., Panadero, E., & Cheng, L. (2021). Exploring formative assessment and co-regulation in kindergarten through interviews and direct observation. Frontiers in Education, 6, 732373. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.732373
Brown, G. T. L., & Harris, L. R. (2023). Predicting formative feedback practices: Improving learning and minimising a tendency to ignore feedback. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1241998. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1241998
Brummelman, E., Thomaes, S., Orobio de Castro, B., Overbeek, G., & Bushman, B. J. (2014). “That’s not just beautiful—that’s incredibly beautiful!”: The adverse impact of inflated praise on children with low self-esteem. Psychological Science, 25(3), 728–735. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613514251
Carpenter, T. P., Franke, M. L., & Levi, L. (2013). Thinking mathematically: Integrating arithmetic and algebra in elementary school. Heinemann.
Cassidy, J. (1994). Emotion regulation: Influences of attachment relationships. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59(2–3), 228–249. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5834.1994.tb01287.x
Cimpian, A., Arce, H. M. C., Markman, E. M., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Subtle linguistic cues affect children’s motivation. Psychological Science, 18(4), 314–316. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01896.x
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Zinsser, K. (2012). Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(3), 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0504-2
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Ernst, J., & Stelley, H. (2024). Supporting young children’s self-regulation through nature-based practices in preschool. Behavioral Sciences, 14(11), 1013. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14111013
Gunderson, E. A., Gripshover, S. J., Romero, C., Dweck, C. S., Goldin-Meadow, S., & Levine, S. C. (2013). Parent praise to 1- to 3-year-olds predicts children’s motivational frameworks 5 years later. Child Development, 84(5), 1526–1541. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12064
Haimovitz, K., & Dweck, C. S. (2017). The origins of children’s growth and fixed mindsets: New research and a new proposal. Child Development, 88(6), 1849–1859. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12955
Hattie, J., & Clarke, S. (2019). Visible learning: Feedback. Routledge.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487
Henderlong, J., & Lepper, M. R. (2002). The effects of praise on children’s intrinsic motivation: A review and synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 128(5), 774–795. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.128.5.774
Kalland, M., & von Koskull, M. (2022). SAGA: Supporting social-emotional development in early childhood education through a mentalizing-based intervention. Education Sciences, 12(6), 409. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12060409
Kulik, J. A., & Kulik, C. L. C. (1988). Timing of feedback and verbal learning. Review of Educational Research, 58(1), 79–97. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543058001079
Lipko-Speed, A., Dunlosky, J., & Rawson, K. A. (2014). Does testing with feedback help grade-school children learn key concepts in science? Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 3(3), 171–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2014.04.002
Metcalfe, J., Kornell, N., & Finn, B. (2009). Delayed versus immediate feedback in children’s and adults’ vocabulary learning. Memory & Cognition, 37(8), 1077–1087. https://doi.org/10.3758/MC.37.8.1077
Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for intelligence can undermine children’s motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.33
Noddings, N. (1984). Caring: A feminine approach to ethics and moral education. University of California Press.
Paunesku, D., Walton, G. M., Romero, C., Smith, E. N., Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2015). Mind-set interventions are a scalable treatment for academic underachievement. Psychological Science, 26(6), 784–793. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615571017
Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. International Universities Press.
Popay, J., Roberts, H., Sowden, A., Petticrew, M., Arai, L., Rodgers, M., & Duffy, S. (2006). Guidance on the conduct of narrative synthesis in systematic reviews. In ESRC Methods Programme (Vol. 15, Issue 1).
Reeve, J., & Jang, H. (2006). What teachers say and do to support students’ autonomy during a learning activity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 209–218. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.209
Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. Oxford University Press.
Rothbart, M. K., & Bates, J. E. (2006). Temperament. In N. Eisenberg, W. Damon, & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development (6th ed., pp. 99–166). John Wiley & Sons.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.
Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. National Academy Press.
Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153–189. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654307313795
Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychological Science, 29(4), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704
Thompson, R. A. (2008). Early attachment and later development: Familiar questions, new answers. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 348–365). Guilford Press.
Vasseleu, E., Neilsen-Hewett, C., & Howard, S. (2024). An early start to self-regulation: Evaluating the effects of a preschool intervention on educator beliefs and practices. Journal of Research in Childhood Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2024.2396907
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Wisniewski, B., Zierer, K., & Hattie, J. (2020). The power of feedback revisited: A meta-analysis of educational feedback research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 3087. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03087
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Lalu Mohammad Abid Zainul Puad (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
