The current study, initially aimed to explore the problem solving skills of the sixth grade students within the four-process problem solving framework including the processes of understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and looking back and evaluating. Secondly, it aimed to investigate the relationships between student and teacher related characteristics and problem solving skills of the students. In the study, a model was proposed based on the related literature and this proposed model was tested by using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) technique. A total of 2562 sixth grade students from 37 public elementary schools in the eight central districts of Ankara completed a problem solving skills test developed by the researcher and a student questionnaire. At the same time, mathematics teachers of the students participated in the study completed a teacher questionnaire.
The results indicated that in general the sixth grade students displayed low performance in the overall problem solving skills test. Moreover, the students performed best in the process of understanding problem whereas they showed the worst performance in the process of looking back and evaluating.
The results of the hierarchical linear modeling technique indicated that the student characteristics significantly and positively related to the problem solving skills of the sixth grade students were socioeconomic status, mathematics self concept, extrinsic motivation, use of control strategies, preference for competitive learning situation, and teacher support, on the other hand student level characteristics significantly and negatively related to the problem solving skills of the sixth grade students were mathematics anxiety, giving homework, activities related with homework, and different types of homework. Furthermore, the teacher level characteristics significantly related to the problem solving skills of the sixth grade students were only teacher gender and perceptions about limitations aroused from students. The characteristic of perceptions about limitations aroused from students was negatively related to problem solving skills of the students on the other hand teacher gender was found to be related to problem solving skills of the students in favor of female teachers. It was also found that there was no teacher level characteristic influencing the relationship that was between student level characteristics and the problem solving skills of the students.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12611740/index.pdf |
| Date | 01 March 2010 |
| Creators | Yayan, Betul |
| Contributors | Berberoglu, Giray |
| Publisher | METU |
| Source Sets | Middle East Technical Univ. |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Ph.D. Thesis |
| Format | text/pdf |
| Rights | To liberate the content for public access |
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