An Analysis of Postgraduate Theses on PISA Exams in the Context of Mathematics Course

Abstract

The study aimed to examine postgraduate theses on PISA exams in the context of mathematics courses and to reveal general trends. Seventy-eight postgraduate theses were analyzed from the YÖK National Thesis Center database within the framework of the determined criteria. A document review was conducted in this qualitative study. The 'thesis review form' was used to process the data, and descriptive content analysis was conducted. When the research findings were examined, it was found that the theses were mostly master's theses and were mainly conducted at Hacettepe University. In addition, it was understood that most research was conducted in 2019 and 2022, most of which was conducted in science/department branches related to mathematics and measurement and was specific to the PISA 2012 exam. It was understood that document analysis was mostly conducted in the studies; the sample was a 15-year-old student group, and the sample size varied between 1000 and 10000. The most frequently discussed topics in the theses were test statistics and the examination of textbooks. This research is important in terms of providing a general perspective on the mathematics course and PISA exams and determining long-term strategies.