Examination of 8th grade mathematics curriculum and 2023 LGS mathematics questions according to the PISA mathematics literacy framework

The purpose of this research is to examine the 8th Grade Mathematics Curriculum, updated in 2018, and the mathematics questions included in the 2023 LGS (Turkish High School Entrance Examination) within the framework of the PISA mathematical literacy assessment model. The research was conducted using the documentary review model. During the data collection process, document analysis steps were employed, and 52 learning outcomes from the curriculum and 20 items from the 2023 LGS were analyzed. The descriptive analysis technique was used to analyze the collected data. The PISA mathematical literacy assessment framework (Mathematical Reasoning and Problem-Solving Processes, Content Areas, Real-Life Contexts) was taken as the theoretical framework for the analyses. According to the findings, when the LGS mathematics questions are ranked under the "Mathematical Reasoning and Problem-Solving Processes" dimension from most to least, they follow the order of use, mathematical reasoning, formulation, and interpretation. In line with the change introduced in PISA 2022, where the "mathematical reasoning" stage was added to the criteria for assessing mathematical processes, 6 questions related to mathematical reasoning were identified in this study. Under the "Content" dimension of the LGS mathematics questions, it was determined that most of the questions were related to quantity, while the least were related to uncertainty and data. When ranked under the "Real-Life Contexts" dimension, the LGS mathematics questions follow the order of scientific, occupational, personal, and societal contexts from most to least. The learning outcomes in the curriculum were ranked under the "Mathematical Processes" dimension from most to least as follows: use, formulation, interpretation, and reasoning. Under the "Content" dimension, they were ranked as follows: change and relationships, quantity, space and shape, and uncertainty and data. The most common real-life context in the learning outcomes was found to be scientific, followed by personal context. No outcomes were identified in the occupational and societal contexts. It was concluded that the LGS mathematics questions and the learning outcomes of the mathematics curriculum are not aligned with the PISA mathematical literacy model assessment framework. It is recommended that future curriculum development/updates and LGS questions be based on the PISA mathematical literacy model assessment framework. Furthermore, research could be conducted in the 2024-2025 academic year, when the Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Model, a new model for the Mathematics Curriculum, is implemented, to examine the alignment of the skills in this curriculum with the proficiency levels of PISA mathematical literacy.