The effect of mathematical literacy education given to fourth grade students on academic success in mathematics literacy and mathematics course

Students see mathematics as just a lesson because they cannot reconcile it with daily life. In this situation, mathematics achievement cannot reach the desired level. The OECD draws attention to the concept of mathematical literacy and applies PISA for 15-year-old students. Our country is below the average in this exam. In our country, researches at secondary and high school level in the field of mathematical literacy have been made and continue to be done. However, there are not enough studies with younger age groups. It is thought that the younger the mathematics literacy education is, the higher the mathematical literacy achievement of the students in the following years. Due to this deficiency in the field, it is aimed to reveal the effect of the mathematics literacy education given to the fourth grade students on the mathematical literacy success of the students. The research is a quantitative study and experimental design was used. The sample of the research consists of fourth grade students attending in a public primary school in Osmangazi District of Bursa. The "Mathematics Literacy Pre-Test" was administered to 67 fourth grade students to measure their levels before they started their mathematical literacy education. One of the fourth grades was chosen as the experimental group, and the control group was formed by taking into account the scores of the experimental group and the students' mathematics achievement. 50 students participated in the research. In this process, a 9-week education was planned for the experimental group, while the control group continued their lessons according to the fourth grade mathematics curriculum. Mathematical literacy education took a total of 9 weeks and 15 lesson hours. In each lesson, students were asked to solve three problems. After the mathematical literacy education, "Mathematics Literacy Post Test" was applied to both groups. As a result of the study, it was seen that the fourth grade students' mathematical literacy levels were low, they were more successful in the field of data and uncertainity in terms of mathematical literacy content areas, and they had difficulties in the field of quantity. When we look at the pre-test-post-test comparison of the experimental group students, it was seen that their success increased as a result of the training given. No significant difference was found between the students' first-term mathematics course success and their second-term mathematics course success. Keywords: Primary school, mathematic literacy, PISA, math success