What do the questions on cell division in the university entrance exams assess?

Abstract

Schooling should make citizens scientifically literate in order to make informed decisions on socio-scientific issues, such as the use of pseudo-therapies to treat cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to know how learning is being assessed at all educational stages. However, there are hardly any studies that consider how the learning of Biology acquired during the Baccalaureate is evaluated in the university entrance exams (EvAU). Thus, in this paper, we analyse the cognitive demand required to answer the 188 questions on a biological process as relevant as cell division, which have been asked in the EvAU Biology exams of the Community of Madrid from 2002 to 2019; distinguishing among product, narrative and process questions. The results show a predominance of narrative and product questions, with lower cognitive demand, with a clear trend towards an increase in product questions until 2016. In addition, some statements are repeated and questions tend to focus on: mitosis, animal cells, chromosome dynamics or stages such as anaphase; ignoring other important structures and moments of the process such as the achromatic spindle or the prometaphase. Possible improvements are discussed, such as the inclusion of process questions that require decision making.