Effect of No-Zero Grading Policy on Achievement, Self-Efficacy and Attitude towards Physics in Secondary Schools in Benue North-East Senatorial District, Benue State

Abstract

In recent years, the debate surrounding grading policies in secondary education has gained substantial momentum, as educators and researchers explore innovative approaches to foster student learning, motivation, and overall academic success. One of the noteworthy evolutions in this discourse is the adoption of a “No-Zero Grading Policy” in various educational settings. The study investigated the effect of No-Zero Grading Policy on students’ achievement, self-efficacy and attitudes towards Physics in secondary schools in Benue North-East Senatorial District, Benue State, Nigeria. Three specific objectives with corresponding research questions guided the study and three hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a pretest post-test control group design. The population for this study was 14,822 Senior Secondary Two Students (SS II) in the 119 public secondary schools in Benue North-East Senatorial District of Benue State. The sample size for the study was 216 Senior Secondary Two (SSII) Physics Students in four schools. The sample size was selected using simple random and purposive sampling techniques. Three instruments, namely, Physics Achievement Test (PAT), Physics Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and Physics Attitude Scale (PAS) were used for data collection. The instruments were validated by experts and the reliability was established using Kudar-Richardson Formular (KR20) and Cronbch Alpha method. Reliability coefficients of 0.86, 0.77 and 0.72 for PAT, PAEQ and PAS were obtained. Data collected were analyzed using Means and Standard Deviation to answer the research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that the mean achievement scores of secondary school students in Physics exposed to No-Zero Grading Policy and those exposed to Zero-Grading Policy significantly differ in favor of the experimental group. The findings also revealed that the mean self-efficacy and attitude ratings of secondary school students in Physics exposed to No-Zero Grading Policy and those exposed to Zero-Grading Policy significantly differ in favour of the experimental group. The study concluded that making the No-Zero Grading an integral part of classroom formative assessment practice will not only improve students’ achievement in Physics but also their self-efficacy and attitudes towards the study of Physics. Recommendations were made that that for improved academic achievement in Physics, the No-Zero Grading Policy should be implemented in schools and Physics teachers should be encouraged to adopt the policy; the No-Zero Grading Policy should be implemented in schools for enhancing the self-efficacy level of students in Physics, reason being that the policy has raised confidence in students that they can do well in Physics and there is need for school administrators to stress the importance of No-Zero Grading policy particularly in formative assessment practice and continuously monitor its implementation among Physics classroom teachers in order to enhance students’ attitudes towards Physics.