Diagnostic and Formative Assessment Strategies on Improving Economics Achievement Among Secondary School Students in Lagos State

Abstract

Economics is a social science that is concerned with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. It is included in senior secondary school curricula to equip students with essential social scientific skills necessary for driving the nation’s technological and economic development. However, a significant number of students continue to underperform in the subject. Researchers have identified various factors contributing to this poor performance, including cognitive, affective, and institutional challenges. These include outdated and poorly written textbooks, inadequate or superficial content in economics textbooks, teachers' qualifications, and ineffective teaching methods, among others. These challenges necessitated this study to investigate the impact of diagnostic and formative assessment strategies on improving students' achievement in Economics. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 200 Senior Secondary Two (SS2) students from four senior secondary schools in Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos State. Fifty students were chosen from each school. Data collection tools included the Formative and Diagnostic Feedback Evaluation Questionnaire (FADFEQ) and the Economics Achievement Test (EAT). The study developed two hypotheses tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed a significant relationship between formative evaluation feedback and students' academic achievement in Economics. However, diagnostic evaluation feedback showed no significant relationship with students' academic achievement in Economics. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that school teachers should acquire updated skills and best practices in using diagnostic evaluation to enhance students' academic performance, not only in Economics but across all subjects; Head teachers or academic unit heads should ensure rigorous scrutiny of the psychometric properties of diagnostic and formative evaluations submitted by teachers; also the Nigerian government, Ministry of Education, and other stakeholders should provide financial support and incentives for teachers to attend high-quality seminars and workshops on constructing effective diagnostic and formative tests.

Keywords: Achievement, Diagnostic and Formative Evaluation, Feedback Mechanisms, Remedial Strategies.