The Digital Gap: Analysing Performance Differences in Online vs. Offline Mathematics Competitions

 Robins abstract for his talk at WFNMC

International mathematics curricula outline a range of objectives for students. Among these, two goals are consistently and prominently emphasized: fostering deep problem-solving skills and integrating digital tools into mathematics education. The digitization of large-scale competitions offers a critical testbed to examine the interplay between these two aims.

The Kangaroo mathematics competition serves as an ideal subject for this investigation. As the world's largest school mathematics contest, involving participants from over 100 countries since its international inception in 1995, it provides a robust framework. Our analysis focuses on data from Austria, where the digital version has been introduced as a direct, task-by-task replica of the paper-based format. This design allows for a unique examination of the medium's effect, isolated from changes in content.

Preliminary descriptive data from Austria reveal a consistent and concerning trend: participants achieve lower scores in the online version compared to the offline format across consecutive years. 

To understand the roots of this digital gap, we conducted a qualitative content analysis of the competition tasks. We identify and examine the 'most problematic' items, those exhibiting the largest performance drop in the digital setting. This analysis aims to uncover specific characteristics of mathematical problems that may be particularly sensitive to the digital medium, such as the presentation of multi-step problems, spatial reasoning tasks, or the management of on-screen information.

This study offers valuable insights for the design and implementation of digital mathematics assessments. By highlighting task types that may be disadvantaged in a direct digital transfer, our work provides educators and competition organizers with a foundation for more deliberate and effective digital integration.