Teacher's role in the implementation of interdisciplinary mathematical modeling applications

The mathematical modeling approach, which aims to show how mathematics relates to real life and is considered as one of the 21st century abilities, has been gaining popularity since it encourages students to think interdisciplinary. This study aims to identify the role of teachers in the planning and implementation of interdisciplinary mathematical modeling (IMM) activities, which are implemented by mathematics and science teachers simultaneously and seen as a tool for the transition to STEM education. For this purpose, teacher interventions that arose during the transfer of four different IMM activities to the classroom environment by two mathematics teachers and two science teachers working with 8th grade students were examined to see how these interventions scaffolded the students' modeling processes. The research data consisted of video and audio recordings of classroom applications, observer notes and student solution reports. Open, axial, and selective coding procedures were used to analyze the data. After the analyses, the interventions of the teachers were determined before, during and after the implementation of the IMM activities. The results of these interventions revealed that teachers generally provided constructive assistance for students' IMM processes. On the other hand, teachers' proficiency in the activity was key to their successful interventions. At the end of the study, suggestions were made for teachers and researchers for the planning and implementation of IMM activities to be carried out effectively.