Mathematics diagnostic testing for incoming engineering students: a scoping review

Mathematics is essential to engineering education, but difficulties in introductory Calculus courses reveal gaps in the prior knowledge of incoming students. To identify these gaps and support teaching, higher education institutions have increasingly turned to mathematics diagnostic tests. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesise evidence on the instruments, methods, validity and reliability studies of mathematics diagnostic tests applied to engineering students, following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. A total of 51 studies were included. The results indicate a predominance of content-based validity evidence, with limited attention to the internal structure and reliability of the instruments, as well as a higher frequency of procedural knowledge, possibly influenced by how the tests are described in the studies and coded in this review. These findings suggest the need to document and diversify the knowledge assessed, in addition to expanding the sources of validity considered in the development of these instruments.