No abstract

There are various factors influencing learning and academic achievement of individuals. These may be external factors which do not arise from the individual, or affective factors which are closely related with the individual. In this study, affective factors such as anxiety, self-efficacy, and learned helplessness which influence learning performance of prospective teachers in mathematics were investigated with respect to their various characteristics, the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between mathematics anxiety and learned helplessness was examined. A quantitative pattern was employed in the study and it was found that there were significant differences between prospective teachers from different departments in terms of mathematics anxiety, perceived selfefficacy, and learned helplessness, there was a positive and significant correlation between anxiety and learned helplessness, which had a negative and significant correlation with self-efficacy and anxiety, whereas perceived mathematics self-efficacy had a full mediating effect in the relationship between mathematics anxiety and learned helplessness.

ÖZ:Bu çalışmada öğrencilerin alan ölçümünü nasıl yorumladığı, alan ölçümü ile ilgili problemlerin çözümü sürecinde kullandıkları stratejilerin neler olduğu ve stratejileri anlama seviyeleri incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın verileri 2015-2016 eğitim yılı bahar döneminde Ankara'nın bir devlet okulunda öğrenim gören 39 tane 8. sınıf öğrencisinden toplanmıştır. Çalışma verileri açık uçlu sayısal alan hesaplama problemleri, matematiksel muhakeme problemleri ve açıklama problemlerinin yer aldığı doküman incelemesi yoluyla toplanmış ve toplanan dokümanlar içerik analizi ile incelenmiştir. Öğrencilerin alan ölçümünü yorumlarken alan ve çevre arasında ilişki kurduğu, geometrik şekillerin alanları arasında ilişki kurduğu, alanın hangi durumlarda değiştiğini açıkladığı ve alan ölçüm problemlerinin çözümü sürecinde ise sayma, formül kullanma ve çok adımlı stratejileri kullandığı tespit edilmiştir. Öğrencilerin alan ölçümünü hesaplarken kullandıkları bu stratejilerin ise doğru, kısmen doğru ve yanlış şeklinde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Öğrencilerin stratejilerden çoğunlukla formül kullanmayı tercih ettikleri ancak yaptıkları açıklamalardan, birçoğunun formülleri kavramsal olarak anlamlandırmada sıkıntı yaşadıkları tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmadan elde edilen bulgulara dayanarak, öğretmenlerin sınıf içi uygulamalarda formülleri bilinçsiz bir şekilde öğrencilere ezberletmek yerine onların kavramsal olarak ne anlama geldiğini öğretmesi gerektiği belirlenmiştir. Anahtar sözcükler: alan, alan ölçüm stratejileri, problem çözme ABSTRACT: In this study, it was investigated how students interpreted the area measurement, which strategies they used in solving area measurement problems and their levels of understanding the strategies. The data of the study were gathered from thirty-nine eighth-grade students studying in a public school of Ankara at the 2015-2016 academic year. The study data were collected via open-ended problems involved numerical area calculation problems, mathematical judgment problems and explanation problems and analyzed using content analysis. It has been determined that students interpreted area measurement building relations between area and perimeters, building relations between areas of geometric shapes, explaining when area show variety, and students used formulas, counting, multi-step strategies in solution process of area measurement problems. It was determined that student's understanding levels were correct understanding, partial correct understanding and incorrect understanding. While students often prefer to use formulas in strategies, it has been noticed that some of them have used formulas unconsciously. Based on findings from the study, it has been determined that teachers should teach students what the formulas mean conceptually rather than memorizing formulas unconsciously during classroom practice.

It is important to be provided meaningful and permanent learning in the Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum based constructivist approach. In order to achieve it, firstly, existing information of students about a subject should be determined and lastly, if they have misconceptions related this subject, these misconceptions are determined and removed. One of the effective methods using to determine is Conceptual Change Texts (CCT). The purpose of this study was to provide being learnt "Height" concept by the secondary school fifth class students and to remove misconceptions of these students with CCT. The study was made of the spring semester of the 2012-2013 academic years. Participants were 80 students from two different schools of Ankara. One of these schools was public schools and the other school was private school. A quasi-experimental design was used as the research method. There were two groups being experimental and control in each of schools. CCT was used in the experimental group and traditional instruction was used in the control group. "Height Achievement Test" developed by researchers was applied as pre-test and post-test for the experimental and control group. Difference between scores of experimental group and control groups was analyzed with independent samples t-test. The findings in this study indicated that there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups in favour of experimental group (p<.05) for the both schools. Findings indicated that lessons being studied with conceptual change texts are more effective than traditional instruction.

Persistent in mathematical studies is an important element allowing students to be successful in their STEM careers, and there is a need for affective measurement instruments to assess persistence in mathematics in spite of problems. For this reason, this study aims to adapt the Mathematical Resilience Scale developed to assess resilience, which is described as having a positive attitude towards mathematics, to Turkish. The fitness of the factor structure of the scale consisting of three factors was investigated using the confirmatory factor analysis. The reliability of the scale and its factors was assessed using the Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient. The reliability value was found to be .92, .80, .76, and .87 for the value factor, the struggle factor, the growth factor, and the entire scale, respectively. The confirmatory factor analysis validated the factor structure of the scale, and the second-level confirmatory factor analysis was performed to show that the factors of the scale were components of resilience. As a result, it was found that the resilience consisted of three components, namely value, struggle, and growth, and the scale was capable of measuring mathematical resilience of undergraduate students validly and reliably.