The effect of mathematics activities associated with values on the mathematical achievements and attitudes of eighth grade students

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of the values-based mathematics teaching activities on mathematics achievement and mathematics attitudes of 8th grade students. For the study, a control group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was used. A total of 59 eighth grade students (29 in the experimental group; 30 in the control group) from a public school in a medium-sized city in Turkey participated in the research. In the study, the values-based mathematics teaching activities prepared by the researchers were conducted to the experimental group. Mathematics Attitude Scale (MAS) and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) were administered to the experimental and control groups before and after the experimental process. In addition, at the end of the experiment process, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 6 students in the experimental group. The results revealed that the values-based mathematics teaching activities did not create a significant difference in the mathematics achievement of 8th grade students, but had a positive effect on their mathematics attitudes. In addition, the 8th grade students who participated in the study reflect the positive effects of the value-based mathematics teaching activities on their mathematical achievements and attitudes.