Does a centralized written final examination in mathematics indeed improve pupils’ subject-related study ability?

Abstract

Since 2015/16, a standardized written final examination in mathematics or applied mathematics has been compulsory for nearly all pupils at the upper secondary level in Austria. While this standardized competence-oriented maturity examination is intended to increase pupils’ subject-related study ability, empirical research in this regard is scarce. Therefore, the subject-related study ability for six partially different control and experimental groups containing between 11 and 17 first-year STEM students is compared using a one-tailed two-sample Wilcoxon rank sum test. No significant differences in the subject-related study ability are detected between the control groups, comprising first-year Austrian STEM students who did not participate in the standardized written final examination in mathematics, and the experimental groups, comprising first-year Austrian STEM students who did participate in the standardized written final examination in mathematics. However, post hoc power analyses show that the sample sizes for each of the six sample cases would have to be much larger to prove significant results with a power of at least 80%. Additionally, no evidence for teaching-to-the test practices could be found in the experimental groups.