Self-Regulatory Assessment and Feedback Pedagogies and Their Impact on Persistence and Dropout in Tertiary Education

Abstract

Student dropout continues to pose one of the biggest challenges to learning and participation in higher education. This study discusses the ways in which self-regulatory assessment and feedback pedagogies can help to enhance student retention and minimise dropout in tertiary institutions. It adopted a narrative review of empirical research on self-assessment, peer assessment, formative assessment, feedback literacy, self-regulated learning, student engagement, retention, completion, and dropout. Drawing on 18 peer-reviewed and scholarly sources published between 2016 and 2026, the study reports that assessment designed for learning, with opportunities for reflection, enhances students’ monitoring of their own understanding; student-to-student feedback pedagogies, when conducted effectively, provide a forum for students to make judgements about their own and their peers’ learning; direct instruction and explicit pedagogical intervention support the development of ‘feedback literacy’, facilitating students’ understanding and use of feedback; and effective formative feedback supports students’ ability to set realistic goals and make progress towards them. These assessment and feedback behaviours may, under certain circumstances, mediate processes that ultimately contribute to reduced dropout by strengthening students’ overall resilience and engagement. The analysis suggests that self-regulatory assessment and feedback may influence student continuation by increasing the likelihood that students remain at university. The article recommends that institutions embed self-assessment, peer assessment, and reflective activities alongside appropriate monitoring and continuous feedback throughout learning and teaching, concluding that the identified self-regulatory assessment and feedback pedagogies can provide a practical foundation for reducing student dropout and improving engagement in tertiary education.