Feedback Intervention Theory

Feedback intervention theory (FIT), first proposed by Avraham Kluger and Angelo DeNisi in 1996, attempts to explain why feedback is not always effective in improving subsequent performance. Because feedback is an important component of many educational programs and interventions, it is critical to understand more about how feedback actually affects subsequent behavior. This entry first explains the origin of FIT and then examines the arguments critical to understanding feedback effects as well as how the three views of the self affect feedback. Finally, implications of the theory are considered.

FIT grew out of the results of a meta-analysis of over 600 effect sizes dealing with the relationship between feedback and subsequent performance. Traditionally, feedback was viewed as being an effective tool for changing behavior, but the ...