Are we assessing reasoning in mathematics at secondary level?

Abstract

The current reform in education emphasises the importance of deep learning and understanding over the mere acquisition of content in all the subjects of our curriculum, including Mathematics. The first part of the literature review includes a short review of the current reform in the educational system in Malta. The other part involves a discussion about the need for schematic learning in the Mathematics classroom and the importance for assessing reasoning in mathematics examinations rather than merely assessing procedures and rote learning. The proper study involved an analysis of the cognitive demand of 48 Mathematics examination papers to include the Junior Lyceum examinations, the annual secondary examinations for all the different schemes and the MATSEC examinations for the years 2009 and 2010. The analysis was carried out using the coding methods described in the TIMSS 2007 Assessment Frameworks. A major finding is that few items in the examinations tested reasoning.