The relationship between formative assessment, science interest, and science achievement: A mediation model

This study explored the mediating roles of interest in broad science topics (IBST) on the effects of students’ perceptions of teachers’ formative assessment on science achievement, using data from PISA 2015. We focused on 9,841 15-year-old students from Mainland (B-S-J-G) China. The results revealed that: (1) a classical suppression effect, where the near-zero association between students’ perceptions of teacher feedback and science achievement was combined with a direct negative effect on science achievement alongside positive indirect effects; (2) students’ perceptions of adaptive instruction positively influenced science achievement; (3) students’ perceptions of formative assessment strategies (i.e. teacher feedback and adaptive instruction) directly and positively affected IBST, which positively affected science achievement; and (4) IBST mediated the relationships between students’ perceptions of formative assessment strategies and science achievement. The theoretical and practical implications of research on teacher formative assessment and its potential synergy with students’ interest are discussed. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.