Investigation of the relationship between secondary school students' mathematical metacognition awareness and problem positioning self-efficiency

Metacognition is the skill of students to have knowledge about their own thinking processes and cognition and to organize this structure. Since metacognition is a method of discovering or choosing a definite mental process in the problem solving process, it stay on important effects on creating the mathematical problem and on success. In this study, secondary school students' mathematical metacognitive awareness and self-efficacy levels of mathematical problem posing were examined. With this study, it was examined whether there was a significant difference in terms of gender, class, socio-economic status of the family and education level of the parents on mathematics achievement. Also, the predictive power of mathematical metacognitive awareness and mathematical problem posing self-efficacy was revealed. The study was designed with quantitative research methods in the relational survey model. The study was carried out on 462 (246 Girls, 216 Boys) students selected by convenient sampling method among secondary school students studying at 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades in a public school. ''Personal Information Form" were used for the data collection tool, the "Problem Posing Self-Efficacy Scale" to determine the students' self-efficacy in posing mathematical problems and the "Mathematical Metacognition Awareness Scale" to reveal their mathematical metacognition awareness. Independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data. According to the results obtained from the research, it was found that students' mathematical metacognitive awareness and problem posing self-efficacy were sufficient and at a high level. It was determined that students' mathematical metacognitive awareness and problem posing self-efficacy differed significantly in terms of gender and mathematics achievement, but did not show a significant difference according to class, socio-economic status of the family, and parental education level. In addition, a moderately positive relationship was found between students' mathematical metacognitive awareness, problem posing self-efficacy and mathematics achievement. It was determined that students' mathematical metacognitive awareness and problem-posing self-efficacy predicted mathematics achievement at a level of approximately 35%. For this reason, it is recommended to carry out teaching activities that support mathematical metacognition awareness and problem-posing self-efficacy appropriate to the level of students by giving importance to mathematical metacognition awareness and problem-posing self-efficacy in the education process.