The effect of realistic mathematics education on data processing learning domain in primary school mathematics course in terms of achievement and mathematical curiosity

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of teaching based on realistic mathematics education approach on mathematics achievement and mathematical curiosity of primary school students in the learning domain of 'Data processing'. The study was designed according to the sequential explanatory design, one of the mixed method designs. In the quantitative part of the study, one of the quasi-experimental designs, pre-test-post-test control group design, was used to determine the effect of teaching activities carried out according to realistic mathematics education. The qualitative data of the study were obtained through a semi-structured interview form. 195 students from different grade levels of primary school participated in the study. The students were selected by convenience sampling. KR-21 internal consistency coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the achievement tests prepared by the researcher and the coefficients ranged between 0.93 and 0.97. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data were analyzed with descriptive analysis technique. The reliability of the qualitative data was calculated using Miles & Huberman's reliability formula and was found to be 87%. It was determined that the RME approach significantly increased achievement in the first, second and fourth grades. When the results of the mathematical curiosity scale analysis were examined, a significant difference was found in favour of the experiment algroup in both tests when both pre-tests and post-tests were compared in the first grades. In the second grades, the significant difference was found only between the pre-tests and in favour of the control group, while no significant difference was observed in both tests for the third grades. In the fourth grades, a significant difference was found in terms of mathematical curiosity in favour of the experimental group only in the post-test. When student views on RME and mathematical curiosity were analyzed, most of the students stated that their mathematical curiosity increased thanks to RME, they found the lesson more fun, they liked the lesson, they saw that mathematics can be intertwined with activities from daily life, and their problem solving and four operations skills increased. Students' meta-cognition skills also developed. It was also observed that students thought that reading books made it easier to solve problems and understand questions in mathematics lessons. Keywords: Realistic Mathematics Education Approach, Primary School Level, Achievement, Mathematical Curiosity, Student Views.