Feedback Timeliness, Specificity and Students’ Self-Efficacy: Assessing Evaluation Practices in Junior Secondary Schools

Feedback is a critical component of formative assessment, but its effectiveness depends on when it is delivered and how specifically it communicates performance information. This study examined the relationship between feedback timeliness, feedback specificity and academic self-efficacy among Junior Secondary School II (JSS II) students in three public secondary schools in Imo State, South-Eastern Nigeria. Guided by social cognitive theory and formative assessment theory, the study focused on how teacher evaluation practices may relate to students’ confidence in completing academic tasks and overcoming learning difficulties. A cross-sectional correlational design was used with 240 JSS II students. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product – moment correlation and multiple regression. The mean scores were 3.42 (SD = 0.71) for feedback timeliness, 3.31 (SD = 0.76) for feedback specificity and 3.58 (SD = 0.65) for academic self-efficacy. Feedback timeliness correlated positively with self-efficacy (r =.42, p <.001), while feedback specificity showed a stronger positive association (r =.55, p <.001). Together, the two feedback characteristics accounted for 33.4% of the variance in self-efficacy. The study identified implications for teacher professional development, formative assessment and students’ academic confidence.