An investigation of the questions mathematics teachers use on exams

Mustafa Güler

doi:10.33902/jpr.2021167371

Abstract

The extent to which the targeted outcomes in education are achieved can be determined by the educational assessment process. Although various alternative ways of assessment have arisen in recent decades, written examinations are still widely used by teachers. This study aims to determine the quality of the questions used by middle school mathematics teachers on exams. Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) proficiency levels framework constitutes the theoretical framework of the study, in which the document analysis method is adopted. In this study, where a total of 1252 written questions were examined, it was observed that teachers mostly preferred open-ended questions in terms of question types. The analysis of the questions in terms of proficiency level showed that teachers mostly preferred the questions at Level 1 and Level 2 at low cognitive level. Level 5 and Level 6 questions were never encountered at all grade levels. In the light of results, some suggestions are made for further research.

Highlights

The skills that societies expect from people are becoming different decades by decades
This study aims to examine the questions used by middle school mathematics teachers in written exams in the context of Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)'s proficiency levels
During the data collection phase, meetings were conducted with the mathematics teachers in schools and the exam questions of the teachers who shared the mathematics exam papers were included in the study

Summary

Introduction

The skills that societies expect from people are becoming different decades by decades. Effective operational and calculation skills in a limited time, which was expected from humans for a large part of the past century, is no longer relevant today. What is essential now is to raise creative individuals who can use what they know to solve real-life problems, think critically, and be creative (Kivunja, 2014). These needs have affected the education policies of countries over time and there have been paradigm changes in education systems in this direction. Assessment and subsequent evaluation activities have gained importance in determining how effective this change is in achieving the intended goals. Measurement activities are carried out with national and international tests conducted in certain periods and exams held in schools

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion