AN ANALYSIS OF SEVENTH-GRADE STUDENTS’ MATHEMATICAL REASONING

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the seventh-graders’ levels of mathematical reasoning and to reveal their performance. The present study was carried out with 167 seventh-grade students studying at randomly selected three elementary schools that served low and middle socioeconomic areas in a city of Turkey. “Mathematical Reasoning Test (MRT)” was developed and used as data collection tool. In analyzing the data, participants’ scores of the test was computed and which mathematical reasoning level they were in was determined. Sample responses of the some students regarding any question (Q7) in the test were presented directly and discussed. As a result of the analysis, it was found that about half of the students (45.5%) had medium and 27.5% of them had low level of mathematical reasoning. When the results are evaluated, it is probable to say that that most of the students’ mathematical reasoning is at medium or low level in general. On the other hand, it is remarkable that rather than the familiar classical problems, students need to be enabled to deal with the problems that they can do reasoning and thus their mathematical reasoning could be improved.

Keywords

• Mathematical reasoning, Sevent-grade students, Problems requiring reasoning

Yedinci Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Matematiksel Muhakemelerinin Bir Analizi

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, yedinci sınıf öğrencilerinin matematiksel muhakeme düzeylerini belirlemek ve bu yöndeki performanslarını ortaya koymaktır. Çalışma, Türkiye’nin bir ilindeki düşük ve orta sosyo-ekonomik düzeye sahip üç ortaokulunda öğrenim gören 167 yedinci sınıf öğrencisinin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Matematiksel Muhakeme Testi (MMT) geliştirilmiş ve veri toplama aracı olarak kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizi için katılımcıların test puanları hesaplanmış ve hangi düzeyde oldukları belirlenmiştir. Bazı öğrencilerin testteki örnek bir soruya (Q7) ilişkin bazı cevapları doğrudan aktarılmış ve tartışılmıştır. Yapılan analiz sonucunda, katılımcıların yaklaşık yarısının (%45.5) matematiksel muhakemesinin orta, %27.5’inin ise düşük düzeyde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu sonuçlar göz önüne alındığında, genel olarak öğrencilerin matematiksel muhakemelerinin orta ve düşük düzeyde olduğu söylenebilir. Matematiksel muhakemenin geliştirilebilmesi için öğrencilerin alışılmış klasik problemlerden ziyade muhakame yapmalarını gerektiren problemlerle uğraşmalarına imkân tanınmalıdır

Keywords

• Matematiksel muhakeme, Yedinci sınıf öğrencileri, Muhakeme gerektiren problemler

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