The effect of problem solving and posing instruction on non-routine problem solving and posing skills of 8th grade students

In this study, the effect of problem solving ınstruction on students' ability to solve and pose non-routine problems has been studied with eighth grade students. The research was carried out in the 2018-2019 academic year with 88 students studying in the 8-G and 8-H grades of a secondary school governed by the Ministry of National Education in Osmangazi district of Bursa Province. Of the two classes, one was chosen as an experimental group and the other was chosen as a control group. In the research, a pre and post test containing routine problems and a a pre and post test containing non-routine problems were used within the scope of the data collection tool. All tests used consist of 5 problem solving and 1 problem posing question. During the instruction, which was given 2 lesson hours a week for 10 weeks, a total of 40 routine and non-routine problems were solved by the experimental group. During the research, real life problems, problems with incomplete and extra information, and unsolved problems as well as non-routine problems that can be solved by systematic listing, guessing and checking, working backward, looking for a pattern and simplifying the problem strategies were used. The problem solving and posing questions used in the study were scored separately and the data obtained were analyzed with SPSS-10.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) package program using appropriate statistical analysis techniques. When the pre- and post-test means related to problem solving and posing were examined in general, it was observed that the overall success was mostly below the average. However, at the end of the study, it was observed that there was a significant increase in the problem posing and solving scores of the experimental group students, while there was no significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of the control group. As a result, it was found that an instruction that deals with problem solving and posing together has a significant positive effect especially on students' non-routine problem solving and posing skills.