Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Penny J. Gilmer, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Middle and Secondary Education. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 23, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe elementary and mathematics teachers&rsquo / views about the new elementary school mathematics curriculum (NC). A total of 22 elementary teachers (grades 1-5) and mathematics teachers (grades 6-8) Alaca district of &Ccedil / orum participated. The data were collected through one-to-one interviews with some of the participants and written responses for the interview questions provided by the rest of the participants. The findings indicated that the participants had positive views about the impact of the NC. Participants reported that the NC helped students reach meaningful learning through the instructional activities, new content, curriculum materials, and new assessment techniques. Participants had positive views about the new roles for the teachers and the students and the increased student motivation that the NC brought. They also expressed challenges in teaching due to the lack of materials, physical facilities, and time. Local differences impacted the implementation of the NC negatively in rural contexts. The intensity of the NC made instructional activities and the assessment processes difficult to implement in multi-grade and crowded classrooms. Participants did not feel efficient enough to implement the NC since they lacked adequate training and support. While teachers adopted the ideas that the NC brought, they adapted these practices to their existing practices. They reported performing a combination of NC practices and previous practices. Participants claimed that content of Ministry support should be more practice oriented, the curriculum materials should be sufficient in number, and the duration of mathematics lesson should be increased.