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This study was conducted to examine the effect of mathematical modelling activities on the mathematical modelling skills of secondary school students in the context of STEM education. The study was designed according to the embedded design, one of the mixed research methods. The study group of research consists of 66 eighth-grade students studying in a public school in the central district of a large province in the south of Turkey in the 2020-2021 academic year. While the criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used to determine the quantitative study group of the research, the maximum variation sampling method was used to determine the qualitative study group. On the other hand, in the context of STEM education, mathematical modelling problems, evaluation rubric and semi-structured interview forms were used as data collection tools in the research. As a result of the research; It was concluded that mathematical modelling activities in the context of STEM education positively improved the mathematical modelling skills of secondary school students. In addition, it has been concluded that the students who receive education with mathematical modelling activities applied in the context of STEM education gain different interdisciplinary perspectives, experience positive developments in their thinking skills, adapt to group work more easily, and increase their interest in engineering and technology.

The aim of the study reported on here was to assess the impact of differentiated instruction in terms of mathematics achievement and the attitudes of secondary school learners to reveal their views on differentiated instruction. The study was designed according to a mixed method design in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The study group, which constituted the quantitative dimension of the study, consisted of 2 control groups and 1 experimental group. The Mathematics Achievement Test, Mathematics Attitude Scale and a semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools. One-way anova and descriptive analysis techniques were applied for the analysis of the data. We concluded that differentiated instruction in mathematics courses increases secondary school learners' mathematics achievement, but has no effect on their attitudes towards mathematics.

The aim of this research is to develop a reliable and valid scale to determine the mathematical thinking skills of gifted students. In addition, with the developed scale, thinking skills of gifted students was examined in terms of various variables. In this context, the research was carried out on two different study groups. The first stage of this research was the development of the scale, and the data obtained from 410 gifted students. The second stage of this research was the testing process of the developed scale, and it was carried out on the data obtained from 393 gifted students. While developing the scale, confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Guttman Split-half values reliability, Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient calculations were performed. As a result of analyses, the total variance percentage of the scale consisting of 16 items and four factors was obtained as 60.781%. It was concluded that the model obtained from confirmatory factor analysis applied was at an acceptable level. For the whole scale, Cronbach's alpha value of the scale was determined as 0.841. As a result of this study, a reliable and valid scale was developed to determine mathematical thinking skills of students. In addition, through the scale developed, it was concluded that thinking skills of the students showed differences according to gender, group, grade level and education status.

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.

This research aims to develop a reliable and valid scale to determine middle school students' self-efficacy about estimation skills. In addition, with the developed scale, the estimation skill self-efficacy of middle school students was examined in terms of various variables. For these purposes, a draft scale of 40 items was developed by reviewing the literature and taking expert opinions. In this context, data were obtained from two different study groups in the research. The first stage of this research was the development of the scale, and the data obtained from 327 middle school students. The second stage of this research was the testing process of the developed scale, and it was carried out on the data obtained from 317 middle school students. While developing the scale, confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Guttman Split-half values reliability and Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient calculations were performed. As a result of the analysis, the total variance percentage of the scale consisting of 23 items and 5 factors was found to be 55.61%. In addition, it was seen that the model obtained as a result of CFA was at an acceptable level. Cronbach Alpha value for the whole scale was determined as 0.91. As a result of this study, a reliable and valid scale was developed to determine the middle-school students' self-efficacy for estimation skills. It was concluded that middle school students' self-efficacy for estimation skills differed according to grade level, but not according to gender. When total score of the whole scale was considered, it was seen that estimation skill self-efficacies of the female students were higher than of the male students but that difference was not significant. Besides, when the estimation skill self-efficacy levels of students were investigated according to their grade level in this research, it was concluded that the self-efficacy scores of the 7th grade students were higher than of the 5th, 6th and 8th grade students.

The purpose of this research is to develop a scale to determine teachers' self-efficacy levels regarding differentiated instruction. To create the item pool, the first 61 item draft form was prepared. This draft form was submitted to the opinion of experts from different fields and necessary corrections were made. Before starting the analysis process, the data were numbered and transferred to the computer environment. Persons to participate in the study were selected by simple random sampling. The sample of the research consists of 572 teachers. During the analysis of the data, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, it was seen that the scale consisted of 27 items and six factors. The factors of the scale are named "Teaching Process, Content, Learning Profile, Readiness, Assessment and Learning Environment". The fit indices obtained from the confirmatory analysis showed that the model was sufficient. The Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was found to be 0.92. From these results, it was concluded that the differentiated instruction self-efficacy scale for teachers is a valid and reliable measurement tool.

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.

Estimation skills matters most for both daily life and mathematics education. Teachers have great responsibilities in helping students acquire estimation skills. In this context, it can be said that investigating the pre-service teachers' sense of efficacy about their estimation skills deems important. In this regard, in this study, it was aimed to develop a reliable and valid scale to determine pre-service teachers' self-efficacy for estimation skills. Accordingly, in this quantitative research, a 40- item draft scale was developed based on literature review and expert opinions. Psychometric properties of the scale was tested on data obtained from 158 pre-service teachers. While developing the scale, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Guttman Split Half and Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficients were calculated. As a result of the analyses, the percentage of total variance explained for the scale consisting of 20 items and 4 factors was estimated as 69%. The model-fit-indices obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis were acceptable. Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient value for the entire scale was found.90. As a result of the research, a valid and reliable 5-point Likert-type Estimation Skills Self-Efficacy Scale was developed to measure the pre-service teachers' sense of efficacy about their estimation skills. It is thought that this research will contribute to the relevant literature, considering that there is no scale aimed at measuring the self-efficacy perceptions of pre-service teachers in the related literature.

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 purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between secondary school students' estimation skills, estimation skills self-efficacies and academic achievements. The research was designed in a correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research models and it was carried out in Adana, a city in the Mediterranean Region during the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year with secondary school students (n=155) who were selected by maximum variation sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods. The Estimation Skills Self-Efficacy Scale that was developed by Er, Artut and Bal (2021) was used to determine the students' estimation self-efficacy. Also, the Estimation Skill Test which was developed by the researchers was used to determine the students? estimation skills. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis techniques were made use of in the process of data analysis. The research findings showed that the students' estimation skills were at moderate level and their estimation self-efficacy levels were low. It was also concluded that the students? estimation skills and their estimation self-efficacies differed according to their grade levels. Furthermore, it was found that there was a positive and moderate relationship between students' estimation skills and estimation self-efficacies and a positive and moderate relationship between their estimation skills and academic achievements. It was also determined that there is a positive and moderately significant relationship between estimation self-efficacies and academic achievement. In addition to this, it was seen that students' estimation self-efficacies and academic achievements explained 17% of the total variance of their estimation skills. In other words, students' estimation skills increase in parallel with their estimation skill self-efficacies and academic achievements.

This research was carried out to determine the opinions of teachers and students in-depth regarding the primary-school first-grade mathematics curriculum in a Turkish context. This study was designed in accordance with a mixed research method to achieve this goal and to examine the situation that emerged during the implementation of a curriculum. The data collection tools were the "Mathematics Curriculum Evaluation Scale," semi-structured teacher and student interviews, and an observation form. The thoughts of teachers and students regarding the primary school mathematics curriculum were determined in-depth, and the situations that emerged during the implementation of the program were examined. The research population comprised first-grade teachers working in primary schools in central districts of Turkey. Descriptive statistics and content analyses were used for the data analysis. Based on the results, it was concluded that the general structure and objective of the mathematics curriculum were sufficient.

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 purpose of this study is to analyse geometric transformations of children in the early childhood period. The study utilised a case study to design one of the qualitative research methods. Interviews were conducted with 6-, 7- and 8-year-old children, in total 24 children, who were enrolled in a private pre-school and a primary school of the Ministry of National Education. Data obtained from the interviews conducted with the children were recorded on the computer as raw data. Then, appropriate themes and codes were formed using these data, and the data were subjected to content analysis. Results of this study showed that children began to improve comprehend topological transformations as their age levels increased, and the development occurred according to age. It is recommended that further studies should investigate how topological transformation develops at earlier ages in case it is supported in the early childhood period.

This study aims to evaluate the implementations of cooperative learning method in teaching limit and derivatives and the opinions of prospective teachers and instructors about these implementations. The research is designed as a case study and conducted with 28 prospective teachers (20 female, 8 male) who were attending the course of calculus in the department of science and technology teaching. The data obtained by interviews and observations were analyzed via content analysis. According to results, it was found out that the implementations of cooperative learning method created a positive effect on prospective teachers and made them learn the subjects more easily. On the basis of the results mentioned above, it can be recommended to use the cooperative learning method in teaching the subjects of limit and derivatives in teacher education. This study focused on teaching the subjects of limit and derivative; however similar studies can be carried out with different mathematics topics.

Purpose: This study will find out student misconceptions about geometrical figures, particularly polygons and quadrilaterals. Thus, it will offer insights into teaching these concepts. The objective of this study, the question of "What are the misconceptions of seventh grade students on polygons and quadrilaterals?" constitutes the problem sentence of the research. Research Methods: The study was conducted in five different schools in Gaziantep, and the data consist of 229 students who are in the seventh grade. In the quantitative part, descriptive statistics, t-tests and one-way ANOVA tests were applied by using SPSS 17.0 software. Findings: The results indicate that students display various misconceptions about polygons and special quadrilaterals. When the students were asked to draw squares, rectangles, trapezoids and equilateral quadrangles, almost all the participants drew prototype figures. It was discovered that, as the level of academic success increased, the risk of misconception decreased in return. Implications for Research and Practice: In the research, students displayed certain misconceptions when questions about the concept of diagonals were presented. Furthermore, in diagnostic test results, the outcome that the intermediate-level students had more misconceptions compared to low-level students might be because the low-level students left more questions blank. By means of conducting qualitative studies, it is possible to determine the thoughts that cause misconceptions. In the lesson content, permanent formula and prototype figures should be avoided. Instead, lessons should be imparted in the manner that reflects actuality and that expresses the core of the perceived subject.

Problem Statement: Algebra, which is one of the basic principles of mathematical learning, still maintains its importance in mathematics programmes. However, especially starting from the primary school years, algebra represents a complex mathematical factor in the operational stage for many students. In this scope, a differentiated teaching approach that accounts for personal differences within a class, considers different students' different skills and learning needs, and draws on students' strengths gains importance. Purpose of the Study: This study was done with the aim of determining the effect of a differentiated teaching approach in sixth grade mathematics lessons in the algebraic learning field on students' academic successes. Method: This study was designed according to equal status, sequenced, mixed methods research. The sixth grade students of a lower socioeconomic level were chosen from a state secondary school in Saricam County in Adana. Fifty-seven randomly chosen students who were close to each other in terms of gender distribution and first term final grade formed the study group for the research. The research used the data collection tools "Algebraic Success Test" and "Semi-Structured Interview Form Regarding the Differentiated Teaching Approach," which were developed by the researcher. The quantitative data that were obtained were tested by covariance analysis, and the qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. Findings and Results: At the end of study, it was revealed that the differentiated teaching approach in a sixth grade algebra lesson increases student success, and during this period, students showed positive cognitive and affective developments. Conclusion and Recommendations: In sum, based on the results, it evident that a differentiated teaching approach applied to sixth grade algebra lessons increases students' academic success, and during this period, such an approach provides positive cognitive and affective developments. Since this study is limited in terms of student dimensions, more studies should be conducted on different subjects and at class levels in which teachers' opinions about application stages can also be investigated. Additionally, this study examined multiple teaching methods of differentiated teaching. In future research, experimental studies regarding the application or comparison of different techniques can be pursued.

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.

The aim of this study was to investigate students' and teachers' point of views about preparing measurement tools used in mathematics classes, the level of learning that these tools are intended to measure, how often they are used and how they are scored in terms of assessing 5th grade primary school mathematic courses. The population of the study for the quantitative data was 226 primary school fifth-year classroom teachers and 881 students in the central school districts of Adana. Furthermore, in order to obtain qualitative data 25 teachers and 45 students were selected by using criterion sampling. As data collection tools, the Measurement and Evaluation Questionnaire (MEQ) developed by the researchers, semi-structured interview forms, and examination materials were used. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were performed on the data. Also, document analysis was done. As for the results, it was seen that teachers very frequently considered their students' levels and their acquisition when preparing traditional and alternative measurement tools. However, they ignored the analysis-synthesis level. In this context, it can be proposed that while preparing traditional and alternative assessment tools it should be paid attention to measure higher order thinking skills of students and to use more alternative assessment tools.

This study aims at identifying teacher candidates' perspectives about the process of portfolio (the file of product) preparation. The quantitative data of this study was based on 110 first-year students at the primary school teacher education department (teacher candidates) and the qualitative data was composed of 15 teacher candidates' semi-structured interviews. As data collection tools, "The Inventory of Portfolio Preparation (PPI)" and semi-structured interview forms were used. The data was analysed through descriptive statistics and content analysis. The results of the study indicated that PPI develops teacher candidates' research and thinking skills and it is an important assessment technique. In addition; teacher candidates mentioned that time is one of their essential problems in the process of portfolio preparation and in order for a productive practice of this process, guidance should be given more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Components of an educational curriculum are in a dynamic interaction with each other. Therefore; the main tenets of an educational curriculum are the process of achieving a specific target, strategies determined and the evaluation of how much is learnt. Among these, evaluation chosen is a process of reflecting students' comprehension level and their knowledge building skills to teachers (Smith, 2006). As a result of the developments in cognitive psychology, behaviorism was replaced by constructivism and evaluation and teaching were combined (Webb, 2001). Therefore, the roles of testees (students) and testers (teachers) have been changed. Not only the product (learning output) but also learning processes have been considered within the domain of classroom assessment and have become a continuous part of teaching (Webb, 1992; Black & William, 1998a, 1998b; Eisner, 1999; Shepard, 2000; Webb, 2001; Stenmark, 2001; Stiggins, 2002; Mcmillan, 2004). Then, alternative assessment techniques (detailed and multiple) which compensate the lacks of traditional testing and evaluation approaches have been put in the agenda (Krulick, Rudnick & Milou 2003; Sheffield & Cruikshank, 2000). In line with the alternative evaluation techniques, learning and teaching strategies have changed and students' high level thinking skills and activities implemented by students have become more meaningful (Kulm, 1993). According to Struyven, Dochy and Janssens, (2005), recent developments, especially in the field of evaluation have been strikingly significant in the higher education level. Following this, in addition to traditional ways of testing, students' portfolio, self and peer evaluation and other new alternative testing and evaluation methods have started to be used in the higher education. In the related literature, it is seen that there are a lot of studies addressing higher education students (Baeten, Dochy & Struyven, 2008; Birenbaum and Feldman, 1998; Struyven et al., 2005; Birgin, 2007 and Zeidner, 1987). In relation to this, Struyven, Dochy and Janssens pointed out that the measurement models followed and exams given influence higher education students' studying skills and how students perceive evaluation considerably change these students' learning approaches. According to studies based on evaluation, it was found out that there is a relationship between higher education students' evaluation preferences and their learning strategies (Birenbaum, 1997; Gijbels and Dochy, 2006). Also, it was investigated that students following comprehension-based learning approach prefer open-ended questions demanding high level thinking; whereas, students learning at the surface level (memorization and repetition-based learning) tend to choose knowledge and comprehension level multiple choice exams (Baeten et al. 2008; Ben-Chaim and Zoller, 1997; Birenbaum and Feldman, 1998; Birgin, 2007; Scouller, 1998; Watering, Gijbels, Dochy and Rijt, 2008; and Zeidner, 1987). Similarly; Ben-Chaim and Zoller (1997) found out that students are willing to take multiple choice tests based repetition instead of open-ended exams in which there is no time limit. Birgin (2007) added that most of primary school teaching teacher education department students intends to choose multiple choice exams, short-answer and gap filling tests. Birenbaum and Feldman (1998) said that students with high test taking anxiety prefer multiple choice exams more that students with low test taking anxiety. Watering, Gijbels, Dochy and Rijt (2008) told that when students' evaluation preferences are considered, it is seen exams which are in the format of decreasing anxiety and stress are preferred more than other exams. As stated above, although a lot of studies can be seen about higher education level students' general evaluation preferences (Baeten et al. 2008; Birenbaum & Feldman, 1998; Birgin, 2007; Scouller, 1998 and Watering, Gijbels, Dochy & Rijt, 2008), no studies can be seen about university students' testing preferences in terms of mathematics. In line with these, this study aims at investigating assessment preferences in maths classes from pre-service teachers' perspectives. Also, in the study, it is intended to see whether there are significant differences among pre-service teachers' assessment preferences, gender and their academic achievement. This study has a survey and descriptive research design. The population of the study was 154 pre-service teachers attending to Primary School Teaching Department at Çukurova University in 2011-2012 academic fall. The sampling of the study was based on the all students at fourth year of the same department. 66.2 % of the students (102) were female and 33.8% (52) of the students were male. In the study, "Assessment Preferences Inventory (API)" was used as a data collection tool. It was developed by Birenbaum (1994) and its Turkish version language validity, reliability and validity was done by Gülbahar and Büyüköztürk (2008). In the study, as a second variable, pre-service teachers' self declaration and their maths scores were considered. Related to findings, it was figured while pre-service teachers demand information about assessment methods before they got prepared for the exams they also, prefer the measurement tools which highlight their cognitive processes. Also, another vital finding from this research was that pre-service teachers with high academic achievement chose alternative testing methods. As for gender factor, no significant difference was found in terms of assessment preferences In line with these findings, it can be suggested that pre-service teachers ought to be informed about assessment methods at the beginning and at the end of the academic term and they can be assessed through techniques that bring their cognitive processes to light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]