Students’ formative assessment perceptions, feedback use and mathematics performance in secondary schools in Tanzania

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the impact of secondary school students’ perceptions of mathematics teachers’ formative assessment practices and feedback delivery on their feedback use, and mathematics performance. The sample consisted of 2767 Form 3 (Grade 11) students from 48 secondary schools in Tanzania. Surveys and focus group discussions were used to measure students’ perceptions of formative assessment, feedback delivery, and feedback use. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) of survey data showed that students’ perceptions of the quality of teacher feedback delivery and perceived scaffolding positively predicted students’ feedback use whereas perceived monitoring negatively predicted feedback use. In turn, students’ feedback use positively predicted their mathematics performance to a small extent. Content analysis of focus group discussions illustrated that most students valued their mathematics teacher’s assessment practices. The findings imply that in Sub-Saharan African educational systems the quality of teacher feedback delivery and promotion of student feedback use can improve students’ mathematics performance.

KEYWORDS:

• Formative assessment
• mathematics education
• secondary education
• mixed methods
• structural equation modelling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Florence Kyaruzi

Florence Kyaruzi is a Lecturer in educational psychology and mathematics education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies at the Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE). He holds Ph.D in the Leaning Sciences from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Department of Psychology. His research expertise includes student and teacher assessment perceptions and conceptions, learning from errors in mathematics education, and teacher education.

Jan-Willem Strijbos

Jan-Willem Strijbos is a Professor in the Department of Educational Sciences, University of Groningen and a former Professor in the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department of Psychology. His research expertise focuses on Assessment and Feedback; Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL); (Computer-Supported) Collaborative Learning (CS)CL; Peer assessment; Peer feedback; Feedback dialogues; Communities of learners/communities of practice; Instructional design; Analysis methods for (CS)CL; Content analysis of discourse.

Stefan Ufer

Stefan Ufer is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Being the head of the Chair for Mathematics Education at LMU, his research projects study the teaching and learning of mathematics at different stages of the learning biography and how mathematical learning processes can be supported in an age-appropriate way.

Gavin T. L. Brown

Gavin T. L. Brown is Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, and the Director of the Quantitative Data Analysis and Research Unit. His research expertise focuses on Educational testing and assessment, Psychometrics and measurement, Social psychology of assessment, attitudes, values, and beliefs and Structural equation modeling.