Strands and cognitive demand levels: Examining university entrance exam questions across three countries

Seyedehkhadijeh Azimi Asmaroud; Yasemin Gunpinar; Sebnem Atabas; Maryam Zolfaghari

doi:10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847

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Seyedehkhadijeh Azimi Asmaroud ¹ ^* , Yasemin Gunpinar ² ^* , Sebnem Atabas ³ ^* , Maryam Zolfaghari ⁴ ^*

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¹ Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA, USA² The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA³ University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, CT, USA⁴ Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

University entrance exams (UEEs) play a crucial role in higher education admissions worldwide, influencing curriculum design and teaching practices. This study examines the mathematics questions in UEEs in Iran, Turkey, and the USA from 2021 to 2024, comparing their content based on National Council of Teachers of Mathematics strands and Cognitive Demand Level framework. The results of the study showed that algebra comprised a higher percentage of questions compared to other content areas across all the countries. Additionally, the UEEs questions in all three countries predominantly consisted of procedural-level questions (either procedures without connections or procedures with connections). Based on these findings, suggestions and recommendations were provided to enhance the balance of question types and promote deeper conceptual understanding in assessments.

Keywords

textbook analysis
cognitive demand level
university entrance exams

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2025, Article No: em084

https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847

Publication date: 02 Sep 2025

Article Views: 114

Article Downloads: 36

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How to cite this article

APA

Asmaroud, S. A., Gunpinar, Y., Atabas, S., & Zolfaghari, M. (2025). Strands and cognitive demand levels: Examining university entrance exam questions across three countries. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, 5(3), em084. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847

Vancouver

Asmaroud SA, Gunpinar Y, Atabas S, Zolfaghari M. Strands and cognitive demand levels: Examining university entrance exam questions across three countries. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher. 2025;5(3):em084. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847

AMA

Asmaroud SA, Gunpinar Y, Atabas S, Zolfaghari M. Strands and cognitive demand levels: Examining university entrance exam questions across three countries. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher. 2025;5(3), em084. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847

Chicago

Asmaroud, Seyedehkhadijeh Azimi, Yasemin Gunpinar, Sebnem Atabas, and Maryam Zolfaghari. "Strands and cognitive demand levels: Examining university entrance exam questions across three countries". Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher 2025 5 no. 3 (2025): em084. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847

Harvard

Asmaroud, S. A., Gunpinar, Y., Atabas, S., and Zolfaghari, M. (2025). Strands and cognitive demand levels: Examining university entrance exam questions across three countries. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, 5(3), em084. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847

MLA

Asmaroud, Seyedehkhadijeh Azimi et al. "Strands and cognitive demand levels: Examining university entrance exam questions across three countries". Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, vol. 5, no. 3, 2025, em084. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16847