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This study examined the relationship between secondary school students' problem-solving success and perceptions using a relational survey model. This study investigated 378 students (212 girls and 166 boys) in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades between 11 and 14 years old using the convenience sampling method. The problem-solving inventory for children, routine and non-routine problem tests, and problem evaluation rubric were used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential analyzes were utilized. The results indicated that students tended to avoid the problem-solving process. Variables of trust, self-control, and avoidance regarding problem-solving perceptions significantly predicted students' success in solving routine and non-routine problems.

The study determined the arithmetic verbal problem solving skills of primary school students and to examine them according to grade level and mathematics achievement variables. The study was designed according to the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The population of the research consists of students studying in public primary schools in the central districts of a large city in the south of Turkey. The sample consisted of 1,865 students determined according to the disproportionate stratified sampling method. The "arithmetic verbal problem test for students" prepared by the researchers was used as a data collection tool. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the students were most successful in the problems of combining and separating with "consequence unknown", then "with change unknown" and "initial unknown", but they were less successful in part-whole type problems. Thus, it was concluded that as the mathematics achievement and grade levels of the students increased, their success in solving verbal problems also increased.

We examined how high school students use their cognitive and metacognitive skills in the geometry problem-solving process. This research employed a mixed-methods descriptive sequential design. Data were collected in the 2019-2020 academic year at secondary education institutions in the central districts of Adana, Türkiye. Using stratified sampling, 313 students participated in the quantitative component, of 313 students 149 are girls and 164 were boys and they were all 15 years olds. Then, using extreme case sampling, 18 students were selected as participant of the qualitative component. Fourteen of them were boys and four were girls. Measures included the metacognitive skills scale, geometry problem test, thinking-aloud protocol, and an observation form. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were applied for data analysis. Results showed that students with high metacognitive skills used metacognitive skills more when solving geometry problems than students with low metacognitive skills. As the implication of the result it is suggested that attention should be paid to the development of students' metacognitive skills in schools. In this context, it would be beneficial to train teachers to develop metacognitive skills. In addition, there is a need to investigate the effect of metacognitive skills on learning in different learning areas.

The aim of this study is to examine the semantic structures used by mathematics teacher candidates to transform algebraic expressions into verbal problems. The research is a descriptive study in the survey model, which is one of the quantitative research types. The study group of the research consists of 165 teacher candidates studying in the primary school mathematics teaching department of a state university in the south of Turkey in the 2019- 2020 academic years. 73.2% of the teacher candidates in the study group are female and 26.8% are male. Criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used in the selection of teacher candidates in the study group. While the Algebraic Expression Questionnaire Form was used as the data collection tool, the evaluation rubric of verbal problems was used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the research, it has been revealed that pre-service teachers are more successful in transforming algebraic expressions into verbal problems, but they have problems in creating problems with algebraic expressions that make up systems of equations. Again in the study, it was concluded that pre-service teachers used addition and subtraction problems more than multiplication and division problems. On the other hand, when the problems in the type of addition and subtraction are examined in the study, in the type of combining and separating; it has been concluded that the category of equal groups is mostly used in the problems of multiplication and division.

The aim of this study is to examine the mathematical problem-solving beliefs and problem-solving success levels of primary school teacher candidates through the variables of academic success and gender. The research was designed according to the mixed methods technique in which qualitative and quantitative methods are used together. The working group, comprised of 138 freshman students studying in the Primary School Teaching Department at a state university formed the quantitative data of the research. Using criterion sampling, a purposeful sampling method technique, 36 students were identified for forming the qualitative data group. The Belief Scale Regarding Mathematical Problem Solving, as developed by Kloosterman and Stage; the Identifying Test of Problem-Solving Success Levels, written by the author; and a semi-structured interview form were used to collect the data. The data was analyzed by MANOVA and two-way ANOVA testing respectively for the quantitative dimensions of the study while qualitative data was analyzed through the descriptive analysis method. Research results concluded that there was not a significant difference between the belief levels of teacher candidates with high and low problem-solving success levels for the dimensions of mathematical skill, the place of mathematics, and problem-solving skills in the Belief Scale Regarding Mathematical Problem Solving. Significant differences were found, however, in the sub-dimensions of understanding the problem and the importance of mathematics, regarding teacher candidates with high problem-solving success levels. It was also clearly seen from the results of the research that the ideas of teacher candidates with low and high problem-solving success levels were similar to each other. Based on these results, it is suggested that importance be given to classroom activities that positively affect the beliefs of primary school teacher candidates in regard to problem solving and learning mathematics. Also, researches using experimental designs can be performed by controlling the interaction of variables that can affect problem-solving beliefs.

This study was designed according to the mixed research method in which quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in order to identify the challenges confronted by classroom teacher candidates in solving mathematical problems and the factors affecting how they choose these representations. The population of this study consisted of 100 3rd year students attending the primary teaching department of Çukurova University during the 2012-2013 academic year. In identifying the samples, the criterion sampling method, a purposeful sampling method, was used. The data collection tools consisted of The Use of Multiple-Representations in Problem Solving Test and a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher. At the end of the research it was discovered that classroom teacher candidates could use different types of multiple representations in solving mathematical problems. However, they used spoken language and algebraic representations the most. During the interviews, teacher candidates emphasized that experience and the content of the problem are the most important factors in identifying which multiple representations to use. Another important result obtained from the research is that teacher candidates can have problems forming a suitable theme for problems and shifting between representations. For this situation, it can be suggested that giving importance to the concept of multiple representations in the teaching of mathematics as well as doing in-class application studies intended to solve and associate problems using the concept of multiple representations would be beneficial. In that way, teacher candidates can guide their students towards different points of view while solving problems.