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Scaffolding-Enriched Assessment for Students’ Emotional Outcomes in Biology: Interaction Effects of Gender on Test Anxiety and Emotional Intelligence

Felix Sesugh Kpiranyam*, Wisdom Kwaghfan Terhemba, Joy Okache Omaga, Stanley Gbaden Fakaa, Samuel Okanche

Department of Science Education, Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi, Benue State, 970101 Nigeria



STEM Education Review 2025, 3(1),1-8; https://doi.org/10.67229/stemer.26080021
Submitted07 Mar 2025
Revised11 Mar 2025
Accepted01 Jul 2025
Published04 Sept 2025
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Cite This Article
(2025). Scaffolding-Enriched Assessment for Students’ Emotional Outcomes in Biology: Interaction Effects of Gender on Test Anxiety and Emotional Intelligence. STEM Education Review , 3(1), stemer26080021. https://doi.org/10.67229/stemer.26080021
Abstract

This study examined the interaction effects of scaffolding-enriched assessment and gender on students’ test anxiety and emotional intelligence in Biology in Benue State, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. A quasi-experimental, non-randomised pre-test–post-test control-group design with a 3 × 2 factorial structure was adopted. The sample comprised 245 SS II Biology students (153 males, 92 females) selected from six intact classes using multistage sampling. Participants received Scaffolding-Enriched Diagnostic Assessment with Feedback and Remediation (SDAFR), Feedback Only (SDAF), or Scaffolding-Enriched Conventional Assessment (SCTA). Data were collected using the Students’ Test Anxiety Questionnaire in Biology and Students’ Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire in Biology, with reliability coefficients of 0.88 and 0.92, respectively. The seven-week intervention involved pre-testing, five weeks of treatment and post-testing. Mean and standard deviation answered the research questions, while ANCOVA tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. Results showed no significant interaction effect of assessment technique and gender on test anxiety, F(2, 238) = 1.325, p = .268, ηp² = .011, or emotional intelligence, F(2, 238) = 2.427, p = .090, ηp² = .020. The study concludes that gender did not significantly moderate the effects of scaffolding-enriched assessment on students’ emotional wellbeing. Biology teachers should therefore adopt scaffolding-enriched assessment practices equitably for male and female students.

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