Student engagement in the learning process drastically declines as students make their way through the education system from fifth grade onward. Student disengagement increases the likelihood a child will eventually drop out of school. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the promotion of student engagement, empowerment, and agency using the formative assessment strategy of feedback. The constructivist paradigm provided the framework to align the purpose of the study with hermeneutic phenomenology methodology. The methods for data collection were one-on-one interviews, observations, and student work documents. Participants comprised a purposefully selected sample of four fifth-grade students (ages 10-11), four eighth-grade students (ages 13-14), and their five core subject area teachers at American School Hong Kong in Tai Po, Hong Kong. The student feedback interaction model was used as a guide to support data analysis. The findings demonstrated, according to the students, how the credibility of the sender, tone, and mode of choice affected student engagement and receptivity to feedback. The greatest influencing factor was student academic achievement. The teachers felt the style of feedback, relationship with their students, perceived traits of the sender, and overall classroom environment affected students' receptivity to feedback. The study reinforced the need for continued research about moderating factors that impact students' feedback receptivity and engagement in the learning process. Future researchers could focus on how to improve self-efficacy of lower achieving students through the feedback assessment process. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]