Formative assessment practices and perceived students’ mathematical achievement in senior high schools: the mediating role of cognitive activation-oriented instruction

Mathematics achievement remains a major concern in Ghanaian senior high schools despite the increasing emphasis on effective classroom assessment and instructional quality. This study examined the relationship between formative assessment practices and perceived students’ mathematical achievement, while investigating the mediating role of cognitive activation-oriented instruction. The study adopted a positivist paradigm with a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 320 Senior High School students selected through a multistage sampling procedure from two public senior high schools in Ghana. A structured questionnaire measured formative assessment practices, cognitive activation-oriented instruction, and perceived students’ mathematical achievement. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23 and AMOS version 23. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling were employed to test the measurement and structural models. The findings revealed that formative assessment practices significantly predicted perceived students’ mathematical achievement and were positively associated with cognitive activation-oriented instruction. Cognitive activation-oriented instruction was also positively associated with perceived students’ mathematical achievement and statistically mediated the relationship between formative assessment practices and perceived students’ mathematical achievement. The findings suggest that formative assessment practices and cognitive activation-oriented instruction are positively associated with students’ perceptions of their mathematical achievement.