The pedagogical power of recognition in feedback

Feedback is essential to learning, yet its effectiveness remains inconsistent. This paper argues that the variability of feedback can be explained through the concept of recognition or the mutual attribution of standing that allows information to function as a reason for action. In this paper, we develop a recognitive theory of feedback that integrates and strengthens the relational turn in feedback research, showing that feedback’s power is not intrinsic to its informational qualities but emerges from the relationships that make it matter. When recognition holds, feedback binds information to identity and enables learning. When it fails, even accurate feedback loses force. We suggest that understanding feedback as a recognitive practice provides a conceptual foundation for explaining why feedback succeeds or collapses, and offers a framework for analysing, diagnosing, and repairing the relationships through which pedagogical power is sustained.