Assessment through mathematical problem-posing

Abstract

This study concerns problem-posing as a means of assessment in upper-secondary mathematics education. The open character of problem-posing as a task, allows students to show their creativity but makes it difficult to control the focus on the learning goals. Problem-posing can be structured by adding an initial problem to the prompt. We aim to investigate how this form of structuring affects the resulting problems and the extent to which they reveal students' thinking and knowledge with respect to learning goals. In line with previous research on assessment through problem-posing by Kwek and by Mishra and Iyer, we classify the complexity of the problems. Additionally, we analyze whether the problems address the learning goals and are solvable. The main outcome is that structuring the problem-posing prompt is more suitable for assessment since the resulting problems align better with the learning goals and reveal more of the qualities and misunderstandings of the students.