Dataset on the impact of rubrics on secondary mathematics self-efficacy in solving quadratic equations problems

The data on the impact of rubrics on secondary mathematics self-efficacy was collected between May and June 2024 from three secondary schools in Mafinga district (Zambia), involving 149 grade eleven students in six intact classes selected at random. Seventy-eight students from three intact classes were randomly selected as experimental groups, and 71 students from three intact classes were randomly selected as comparison groups. For six weeks in the second term of 2024, the teachers used formative assessments to track students' learning of quadratic equations through think-pair-share, group, and individual activities. The teachers also used feedback to differentiate effective teaching approaches and revise ineffective approaches to promote students’ learning. Through goal-setting and formative feedback, experimental groups employed rubrics to track their learning progress and promote peer and self-assessment. To collect data, the researcher administered the mathematics self-efficacy questionnaire containing eight Likert scale items both before and after interventions. The students responded to each item by indicating the degree of agreement or disagreement from totally agree to totally disagree. Students took about fifteen minutes to complete the questionnaire. Students’ mathematics self-efficacy was measured through the following procedures:
(1) For every item, a different value was assigned to possible answers: 5 = totally agree, 4 = agree, 3 = neutral, 2 = disagree, and 1 = totally disagree. Negatively worded items were coded in reverse from totally agree (1) to totally disagree (5) so that high values indicated the same type of response on every item.
(2) For each student, a mean value was obtained by adding the values corresponding to items on the scale and dividing by the number of items.
(3) A positive self-efficacy was associated with item mean values equal to or greater than 3.51. Mean values between 2.51 and 3.5 represented that students were not sure. On the other hand, negative self-efficacy about students’ ability as learners of quadratic equations was associated with mean values equal to or less than 2.5.
The researcher compiled the results and presented them using tables. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were also used to summarize the results. In addition, a mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was performed using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences version 25. The data set includes an Excel file named “Dataset on the impact of rubrics on secondary mathematics self-efficacy” with two sheets containing raw data for students before and after interventions.
The results showed that students who used formative rubrics experienced a greater increase in their level of self-efficacy at the end of the intervention than they had before the intervention and in relation to students who did not use formative rubrics. The impact of gender over time was not significant.