Thesis defence: Students’ mathematical digital competence in assessment – validity considerations in the instrumental use of spreadsheet tools
When students solve test items in mathematics using digital tools, are we assessing their mathematical competence, their digital skills, or both? Mattias Winnberg’s thesis examines what is assessed and what needs to be considered when integrating spreadsheet tools into summative assessment in mathematics.
Mattias Winnberg. Photo: Sören Andersson.
Mattias Winnberg’s thesis investigates what is assessed and what needs to be considered when spreadsheet tools are integrated into digital summative assessments in mathematics. The studies focus on both the opportunities and challenges of digital assessment, particularly potential threats to validity from a test development perspective.
The research investigates students’ use of spreadsheet tools in relation to validity issues, including their techniques, usage schemes, and the role of prior familiarity with digital tools. One study involves relatively authentic spreadsheet tools, while two studies use more simplified tool use. The thesis develops the concept of Mathematical Digital Competence in Assessment (MDCA).
The first study examines the opportunities and challenges identified by test developers in the transition to digital mathematics assessments in Sweden, drawing on steering documents and an analysis of potential validity threats. The second study is based on interviews and observations of students working with spreadsheet tools during assessment tasks. The third and fourth studies use PISA 2022 data to analyze students’ response patterns to spreadsheet-based items in relation to a training module and to their prior experience with similar digital tools.
In two of the studies, the data are analyzed from an instrumental theoretical perspective, focusing on how techniques and conceptual understandings of tool use develop into instruments through the process of instrumental genesis. Finally, the available evidence is evaluated in light of the intended interpretation and use of test scores, guided by Michael T. Kane’s argument-based validation framework.
Studies included in the thesis:
Winnberg, M., & Ehrlich, S. (2026). Mathematics assessment items with spreadsheet functionality: The role of spreadsheet familiarity in students’ mathematics achievement (Submitted manuscript).
Download and read Mattias’s thesis
Participants in the thesis defence
Role | Name |
|---|---|
Opponent | Professor Rune Herheim, (Høgskulen på Vestlandet, Norway) |
Chairman | Professor Eva Norén (Stockholm University) |
Examination board | Associate Professor Jesper Boesen (Jönköping University), Associate Professor Hanna Eklöf (Umeå University), Professor Karim Hamza (Stockholm University). Deputy member: Associate Professor Maria Rydell (Stockholm University) |
Supervisors | Samuel Sollerman (main supervisor), Hendrik Van Steenbrugge , Kerstin Pettersson (Stockholm University) |
PhD student |
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Last updated: 2026-03-27
Source: Department of Teaching and Learning