Investigation of mathematics teachers' practices to determine student math performances

The purpose of this research is to determine the factors that mathematics teachers consider in determining the student's participation grade for in-class activities, as well as the frequency of use of measurement-assessment tools and methods. The research was carried out using the survey method. The sample of the study consists of a total of 320 mathematics teachers (180 secondary schools, 140 high schools) from Denizli. Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form", the "Scale of Factors Affecting the Students' Participation Grades for in-Class Activities", and the "Scale for Frequency of Use of Measurement and Assessment Tools and Methods". Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA test and Tukey HSD test with the help of SPSS 17.0 package software. As a result of the research, it was determined that mathematics teachers placed more emphasis on students' effort, affective skills, social behaviors, mathematical knowledge and skills, and homework performance in determining students' participation grade for in-class activities, and less emphasis on external factors, academic exam success, and follow-up test results. There was no significant difference in terms of class size, teachers' gender, years of service, graduate education or in-service training variables in determining the student's participation grade in in-class activities. However, secondary school mathematics teachers give more importance to social behaviors, affective skills, homework performance, and follow-up test results than high school mathematics teachers in determining the in-class participation grade. Mathematics teachers mostly use traditional assessment methods, then objective and performance assessment methods, and they use alternative assessment methods the least. While there was no significant difference in the frequency of use of assessment methods by mathematics teachers according to gender and place of residence, a significant difference was found according to class size, school type (high school-secondary school), having in-service training and graduate education, and professional seniority.