Effects of large-scale studies on mathematics education policy in Taiwan through the lens of societal and cultural characteristics

Assessment in mathematics education: responding to issues regarding methodology, policy, and equity

“…2 are visible also in the literature we have reviewed in this paper, where authors often discuss mathematics teaching and learning in relation to assessment and assessment outcomes, or in relation to policy implementation. Researchers might decide to conduct research on how different measures influence the inferences we may draw from assessments; they might also use output from international studies to inform educational authorities about changes to teaching, learning, and assessment in mathematics that could be included in new policies (Lin et al 2018). In fact, a reciprocal relationship also exists Fig.…”

“…For instance, Hsieh et al (2014) discuss how Taiwan used The Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) results to inform and adjust mathematics teacher education. Further, Lin et al (2018) applied a four-phase framework that recognises social and cultural characteristics of both Taiwanese and Western educational systems to discuss how outcomes from international comparative studies have influenced educational policy in compulsory education and teacher education in Taiwan. Their analysis focusses on the chain of policy development, from assessment studies to an educational vision, followed by the implementation of a change to national assessments or curricula.…”

“…Educators have been discussing the 'what you test is what you get (WYTIWYG)' principle for a long time, but it is a principle that works both ways: educational authorities might initiate assessment reforms to influence mathematics teaching. While emphasising certain educational standards more than others can restrict the implementation of a curriculum, educational authorities might also use changes to national examinations to influence changes in mathematics education (Lin et al 2018), including the uptake of digital tools such as dynamic geometry or CAS tools.…”

“…The current assessment practices influence both methodological aspects and equity issues as well as the opportunity to use assessment for policy development. Ideally, the assessments used for policymaking should provide important information necessary to shape educational policies that can improve mathematics education (Lin et al 2018). In addition, policy-makers must look past surface output (e.g., average scores) to identify the crucial messages (Auld and Morris 2016;Burkhardt and Schoenfeld 2018).…”

Forty Years of Mathematics Education: 1980-2019

“…However, another important term to be mentioned here is the policy. The articles explore the effects of large-scale studies on mathematics education policy (Lin, Wang & Chang, 2018;Nortvedt, 2018), the consequences of experimentalism in mathematics education policy and practice (Cobb & Jackson, 2008), policy implementation and responses to mathematics reforms (Spillane, 2000), implications for curriculum policy (Stacey & MacGregor, 1999) and instructional policy issues (Gall, 1984).…”