From Objectives to Questions: A Planning-based Framework for Educational Mathematical Question Generation

Cheng Cheng, Zhenya Huang, GuanHao Zhao, Yuxiang Guo, Xin Lin, Jinze Wu, Xin Li, Shijin Wang


Abstract
Automatically generating high-quality mathematical problems that align with educational objectives is a crucial task in NLP-based educational technology. Traditional generation methods focus primarily on textual quality, but they often overlook educational objectives. Moreover, these methods address only single-dimensional, simple question generation, failing to meet complex, multifaceted educational requirements. To address these challenges, we constructed and annotated EduMath, a dataset of 16k mathematical questions with multi-dimensional educational objectives. Based on this dataset, we developed EQGEVAL, which incorporates three evaluation dimensions and is designed to assess the ability of models to generate educational questions. Drawing inspiration from teachers’ problem design processes, we propose the Educational Question Planning with self-Reflection (EQPR) method for educational mathematical question generation, following a “plan-evaluate-optimize” approach. Specifically, by combining planning algorithm based on Monte Carlo Tree Search with the generative capabilities of Large Language Models, we continuously optimize questions through iterative feedback. This self-optimization mechanism ensures that the generated questions both fit the educational context and strategically achieve specific basic educational objectives. Through extensive experiments based on EQGEVAL, we have demonstrated that EQPR achieves significant improvements in generating questions that meet multi-dimensional educational objectives.
Anthology ID:
2025.acl-long.628
Volume:
Proceedings of the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers)
Month:
July
Year:
2025
Address:
Vienna, Austria
Editors:
Wanxiang Che, Joyce Nabende, Ekaterina Shutova, Mohammad Taher Pilehvar
Venue:
ACL
SIG:
Publisher:
Association for Computational Linguistics
Note:
Pages:
12836–12856
Language:
URL:
https://preview.aclanthology.org/ingestion-acl-25/2025.acl-long.628/
DOI:
Bibkey:
Cite (ACL):
Cheng Cheng, Zhenya Huang, GuanHao Zhao, Yuxiang Guo, Xin Lin, Jinze Wu, Xin Li, and Shijin Wang. 2025. From Objectives to Questions: A Planning-based Framework for Educational Mathematical Question Generation. In Proceedings of the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers), pages 12836–12856, Vienna, Austria. Association for Computational Linguistics.
Cite (Informal):
From Objectives to Questions: A Planning-based Framework for Educational Mathematical Question Generation (Cheng et al., ACL 2025)
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PDF:
https://preview.aclanthology.org/ingestion-acl-25/2025.acl-long.628.pdf