EFFECT OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT WITH FEEDBACK ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN ECONOMICS IN JOS-SOUTH, NIGERIA

Abstract

Formative assessment with feedback (FAF) has emerged as a learner-centred instructional approach that emphasizes continuous monitoring of learning and the provision of timely, constructive feedback to enhance students’ engagement and motivation. Despite its documented effectiveness in improving academic outcomes, its influence on students’ interest in Economics within Nigerian secondary schools remains underexplored. This study investigated the effect of formative assessment with feedback on Senior Secondary School II students’ interest in Economics in Jos-South Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest non-randomized control group design was adopted. The population comprised 627 SS II Economics students, from which a sample of 90 students drawn from two co-educational secondary schools was selected using purposive sampling techniques. The experimental group was taught Economics concepts using formative assessment strategies integrated with structured feedback, while the control group received instruction through the conventional lecture method over a twelve-week period. Data were collected using the Economics Interest Scale (EIS), a validated Likert-type instrument with a reliability coefficient of 0.93 and validity index of 0.83. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference in posttest interest mean scores in favour of students exposed to formative assessment with feedback (F(1,87) = 1392.26, p < .05, η² = .94). The study concluded that formative assessment with feedback is a powerful pedagogical strategy for enhancing students’ interest in Economics and recommended its systematic integration into secondary school instructional practices.