Feedback in the digital classroom is a double-edged sword. It’s faster, more frequent, and more data-rich than ever before. But is it more effective? The answer, it turns out, has less to do with the technology itself and more to do with the stories students tell themselves about learning.
In every classroom, we see it: one student gets a question wrong and leans in, curious; another gets one wrong and shuts down. What separates them is not innate ability, but a learnable skill called resilience, which is rooted in mindset.
For many students, the shift from traditional testing to a game-based platform like Kahoot! is a welcome one. Research shows that this low-stakes environment can significantly reduce academic stress and test anxiety, transforming assessment into an act of play. This positive impact is real and powerful. Yet, we still see some students for whom any assessment, game-based or not, feels high-stakes. The question is, why?
The answer is best explained by Carol Dweck’s research on mindset. Students with a “fixed mindset” see challenges as judgment on their static intelligence, while those with a “growth mindset” see them as an opportunity to learn. A recent study by Cristian R. Pancorbo Cruz highlights the emotional impact of this split in a digital classroom: for fixed-mindset students, negative feedback can trigger hopelessness and shame, while for growth-mindset students, the same feedback sparks excitement and optimism – a valuable clue for what to work on next.
The difference is not only emotional but cognitive. Growth-oriented students are more likely to connect feedback to prior knowledge, deepening learning through reflection. This process is the engine of “grit”, the perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Without a growth mindset, grit cannot take root, because students will not persist if they do not believe their effort leads to improvement.
This is where digital tools play an important role. Unlike a single, high-stakes exam, a quick quiz provides constant opportunities for practice and feedback. The frequency of these learning moments lowers the emotional cost of mistakes and can be an ideal training ground for resilience, creating a learning environment where wrong answers become part of the learning cycle.
But the key to resilience is not the digital tool alone – it’s how mistakes are framed. Research on resilience is clear: praising the process, efforts, and strategies is what fosters a growth mindset, while praising innate ability reinforces a fixed one.
This is where educators are essential. A platform can provide instant, corrective feedback, but the teacher can turn it into elaborative feedback that builds meaning. Shifting focus from the leaderboard to the strategies behind challenging questions helps reframe mistakes as learning opportunities. Simple reframes such as, “That was a tricky one – what strategies did we try?” or, “Excellent effort on those last few questions!” model that persistence and reflection matter more than the final score.
While digital tools may spark motivation, our ultimate goal is not to create students who are good at winning games. It is to cultivate learners with resilience and grit who see challenges not as threats, but as the very process of learning itself. By intentionally praising the process over points, we equip students with the mindset to thrive long after the game is over.
