O'Connor, Rachel, Ní Shúilleabháin, Aoibhinn
ORCID: 0000-0003-4823-495X and Meehan, Maria
ORCID: 0000-0001-8970-8790
(2019)
Investigating Cognitive demand of Higher-level Leaving Certificate Mathematics Examination Tasks Pre- and Post-Curriculum Reform.
In: The Seventh Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland (MEI7), 11-12 Oct, 2019, Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract
In 2010 the phased introduction of the new Project Maths curriculum began in post-primary schools in Ireland. This new curriculum aimed to enable students to develop problem-solving skills by providing relevant, contextual applications of mathematics, while simultaneously
increasing the levels of cognitive demand required of students. This research aims to investigate whether the levels of cognitive demand required to complete tasks in the Leaving Certificate Higher-level mathematics examinations changed as a result of the curriculum
reform. The methodology of this research includes the systematic analysis of Leaving Certificate examination tasks, from 2007 to 2017, using an adaptation of the Stein and Smith (1998) task analysis framework. Using this framework, tasks were classified as being of highlevel or low-level cognitive demand. Analysis of the data collected suggests that a statistically significant increase in the levels of high-cognitive demand tasks did occur following the curriculum reform. Our findings are discussed in relation to two recent studies that used
different frameworks to examine the cognitive demand of tasks in post-primary mathematics.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Event Type: | Conference |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Subjects: | Social Sciences > Education Social Sciences > Teaching Mathematics |
| DCU Faculties and Centres: | DCU Faculties and Schools > Institute of Education DCU Faculties and Schools > Institute of Education > School of STEM Education, Innovation, & Global Studies Research Institutes and Centres > Research Centre in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education (CASTel) |
| Published in: | Proceedings of the Seventh Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland (MEI 7). . Proceedings of the Seventh Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland (MEI 7). |
| Publisher: | Proceedings of the Seventh Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland (MEI 7) |
| Official URL: | http://hdl.handle.net/10197/11687 |
| Copyright Information: | Authors |
| ID Code: | 31916 |
| Deposited On: | 05 Dec 2025 14:09 by Tom Feeney . Last Modified 05 Dec 2025 14:09 |
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