Motivation for feedback-seeking among pediatric residents: a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND: For effective self-directed life-long learning physicians need to engage in feedback-seeking, which means fostering such behavior during training. Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that intrinsic motivation is fostered when the environment optimizes the individual’s experience of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Educational settings meeting these psychological needs may foster intrinsic motivation in trainees, enhance their desire for feedback, and promote feedback-seeking. We sought to examine residents’ feedback-seeking behaviors through the lens of SDT and explore the association with intrinsic motivation and career choice. METHODS: We used a mixed-methods approach with an explanatory sequential design. Residents participated in simulation training, completed an inventory of intrinsic motivation (IMI) and responded to sequential opportunities for performance feedback requiring different levels of effort. We compared IMI scores and career choice between groups with different effort. We interviewed high-effort feedback-seekers and conducted thematic analysis of interview data. RESULTS: Thirty-four of 35 residents completed the survey (97%). Of those completing the study, 12 engaged in low-effort feedback-seeking only, 10 indicated intent for high-effort feedback-seeking and 10 actually engaged in higher effort to get feedback. Groups did not differ in mean IMI scores. Among high-effort feedback-seekers more residents were interested in critical care–related fields compared to the other groups. We identified 5 themes around autonomy, relatedness, and competence clarifying residents’ reasons for feedback-seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that among residents, the relationship between motivation and feedback-seeking is complex and cannot be predicted by IMI score. Career plans and relationships with feedback providers impact feedback-seeking, which can inform educational interventions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-018-1253-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.