EXAMINATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL 7TH GRADE STUDENTS' MATHEMATICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS ON RATIONAL NUMBERS

Abstract

In our new education curriculum, it has been seen that it is no longer sufficient for students to learn only the achievements, unlike these gains, solution strategies that the student visualizes in his mind and designed by himself are also needed. Mathematical thinking, which is the process of obtaining new information completely different from the student's old knowledge and new knowledge, using it in the solution of the problem, and transforming that knowledge into new knowledge, has become extremely important. MEB asks students for deep mathematical thinking and problem solving skills in all questions they ask in the skill-based tests and student selection exam LGS. In this study, mathematical thinking and problem solving skills of middle school 7th grade students while solving problems will be examined. The research was applied to 241 students in 7 different secondary schools in the province of Bingöl in the Eastern Anatolia Region in the 2020-2021 academic year. In the study, it was investigated by quantitative and qualitative methods whether the mathematical thinking and problem solving skills of the students on rational numbers are related to gender, whether they had pre-school education and daily reading time. In the research, the SPSS 25 package program was used in the analysis of quantitative data, and in the analysis of qualitative data by examining the process steps in the answers from the students. As a result of the research, a statistically significant difference was found between male and female students, and this difference is in favor of female students. According to the findings obtained from the research, no statistically significant difference was found between the students who had and did not have pre-school education. Secondary school 7th grade students’ mathematical thinking and problem solving skills are related to their daily reading time. According to the results, students who read for an hour a day are more successful than students who read for fifteen minutes a day.