The Use of Descriptive Written Feedback for Enhancing Students’ Mathematics Achievement

Abstract

Giving learners high-quality feedback as part of formative assessment is a high-yield method teachers can use to support learning and raise academic achievement. Despite its significance, the influence of Descriptive Written Feedback (DWF) on students’ mathematics achievement has yet to be widely studied. This study, therefore, investigated the influence of the teachers’ descriptive written feedback on mathematics achievement in selected secondary schools in Konoin Sub-County of Bomet County, Kenya. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the independent (Descriptive Written Feedback) and dependent variable (Mathematics Achievement). The Student Achievement Test (SAT) scores attained by the students right after covering the topic of the gradient and the equation of a straight line were used to measure the students’ mathematics achievement. A simple random sampling method was employed to select the ten schools used in this study. ANOVA was used to analyse the data. The study findings showed that descriptive written feedback significantly influences mathematics achievement. The study suggested that mathematics teachers should provide students with descriptive written feedback for improved attainment of expected learning outcomes and enhanced student performance.