Cognitive and behavioral classifications of large-scale mathematics assessment items and teachers’ understanding

This study focuses on the cognitive and behavioral classifications within the taxonomy of educational objectives by comparing the definitions and classification methods of large-scale mathematics assessment frameworks, including TIMSS, PISA, NAEA, and CSAT, and by examining their connections to actual assessment items and teachers’ understanding. The analy sis of domain definitions and changes in subcategories, together with illustrative items, identified key characteristics and showed that each assessment adopted different approaches in terms of purpose, curriculum alignment, and the structuring of cognitive hierarchies. Survey results indicated that, while teachers demonstrated relatively high understanding of the conceptual definitions, their classifications of actual items revealed inconsistencies due to ambiguous boundaries between domains. In par ticular, distinguishing among understanding, reasoning, and problem-solving domains showed low consistency, confirming a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. These results suggest the need for practice-oriented training and diverse item-based exercises to strengthen teachers’ ability to apply assessment frameworks. This study is expected to provide foundational insights for refining mathematics assessment frameworks, enhancing teachers’ assessment competence, and supporting discussions on international comparisons and curriculum development.