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. 

Keywords

References

• Anderson, L., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Longman.
• Aygün, B., Baran-Bulut, D., & İpek, A. S. (2016). The analysis of the primary school mathematics exam questions according to the math taxonomy. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 7(1), 62-88. http://doi.org/10.16949/turcomat.97548
• Aziza, M. (2018). An analysis of a teacher’s questioning related to students’ responses and mathematical creativity in an elementary school in the UK. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 10(4), 475-487. http://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2018438138
• Bekdemir, M. & Baş, F. (2017). Analysis of mathematics teachers' questions used in examinations in terms of conceptual and operational knowledge. Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 36(1), 95-113. http://doi.org/10.7822/omuefd.327392
• Birgili, B. (2014). Open ended questions as an alternative to multiple choice: Dilemma in Turkish examination system. [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Middle East Technical University.
• Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27-40. http://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
• Çabakçor, B. Ö, Güler, M., Akşan, E., Gürsoy, K. & Güven, B. (2014, September). TEOG matematik sorularının ilköğretim matematik öğretim programı ışığında değerlendirilmesi [Evaluation of TEOG mathematics questions in the light of elementary school mathematics curriculum]. Paper presented at 11th National Science and Mathematics Education Congress. Çukurova University, Adana.
• Danişman, Ş., Karadağ, E., & Kılıç, A. (2020). Examination of classroom teachers’ beliefs about mathematics and teaching in terms of various variables. Mediterranean Journal of Educational Research, 14(33), 222-244.
• Kivunja, C. (2014). Do you want your students to be job-ready with 21st century skills? Change pedagogies: a pedagogical paradigm shift from Vygotskyian social constructivism to critical thinking, problem solving and siemens' digital connectivism. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(3), 81-91. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v3n3p81
• Köğce, D., & Baki, A. (2009). A Comparision of high-school mathematics teachers’ examination questions and mathematics questions in the university entrance exams according to Bloom’s taxonomy. Pamukkale University Journal of Faculty of Education, 26, 70-80.
• Kwon, O. N., Park, J. H., & Park, J. S. (2006). Cultivating divergent thinking in mathematics through an open-ended approach. Asia Pacific Education Review, 7(1), 51-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03036784
• Merriam, S. B. (1988). Case study research in education: A qualitative approach. Jossey-Bass.
• Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage.
• Ministry of National Education [MoNE] (2019). PISA 2018 Türkiye Ön Raporu [Turkey PISA 2018 Preliminary Report]. MEB.
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM]. (2014). Principles to action: Ensuring mathematical success for all. Author.
• Newton, P. E. (2007). Clarifying the purposes of educational assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 14(2), 149–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/09695940701478321
• Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development [OECD] (2003). The PISA 2003 assessment framework – Mathematics, reading, science, and problem-solving knowledge and skills. Author.
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD]. (2016). PISA 2015 mathematics framework. Author.
• Özer-Özkan, Y., & Acar-Güvendir, M. (2018). Development of the teacher's scale that measures the instructional and affective influences of the central examinations on the teachers, Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 19(3), 189-204. http://doi.org/10.17679/inuefd.394383
• Öztürk, N., & Masal, E. (2020). The classification of math questions of central examination for secondary education institutions in terms of PISA mathematics literacy levels. Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Education, 4(1), 17-33.
• Robbins, S. B., Lauver, K., Le, H., Davis, D., Langley, R., & Carlstrom, A. (2004). Do psychosocial and study skill factors predict college outcomes? A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 130(2), 261-288. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.2.261
• Shiel, G., Perkins, R., Close, S., & Oldham, E. (2007). PISA mathematics: A teacher's guide. Department of Education and Science.
• Suurtamm, C., Thompson, D. R., Young Kim, R., Diaz Moreno, L., Sayac, N., Schukajlow, S., ... & Vos, P. (2016). Assessment in mathematics education: Large-scale assessment and classroom assessment. Springer Nature.
• Tatto, M. T., Schwille, J., Senk, S. L., Ingvarson, L., Rowley, G., Peck, R., . . . Reckase, M. (2012). Policy, practice, and readiness to teach primary and secondary mathematics in 17 countries: Findings from the IEA teacher education and devel-opment study in mathematics (TEDS-M). (PDF) Teachers Professional Knowledge for Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Assessing the Outcomes of Teacher Education. Springer.
• Ulusoy, F., & İncikabı, L. (2020). Middle school teachers’ use of compulsory textbooks in instruction of mathematics. International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning, 21(1), 1-18.
• Wijaya, A., van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, M., Doorman, M., & Robitzsch, A. (2014). Difficulties in solving context-based PISA mathematics tasks: An analysis of students' errors. The Mathematics Enthusiast, 11(3), 555-584.
• Wilson, S. M., & Kenney, P. A. (2003). Classroom and large-scale assessment. In J. Kilpatrick, W. G. Martin, & D. Schifter (Eds.), A research companion to principles and standards for school mathematics (pp. 53–67). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.