The effect of non-routine problem solving instruction on 8th grade students' strategic flexibility and achivement in high school entrance exam

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an instruction on non-routine problem solving provided to 8th grade students on their strategic flexibility and their success in the High School Entrance Exam. In accordance with this purpose, the research was carried out based-on to the pretest - posttest experimental design model. The sample of the research consisted of 200 eighth grade students receiving education in Gemlik district of Bursa in the 2018-2019 academic year. The data required for the research were obtained from the pretest - posttest consisting of 10 open-ended non-routine problems and the mathematics scores received from the High School Entrance Exam (LGS), which is the central exam that 8th grade students take at the end of the year. In the study, firstly, all the participants were administered a pretest and then the experimental group (32 students) was given an instruction on non-routine problem-solving. During the instruction, which was given 2 hours a week for 9 weeks, the experimental group was made to solve 38 non-routine problems suitable for solving with different strategies. The problems used throughout the research were chosen from the problems suitable for solving with the strategies of make a systematic list, work backward, guess and check, look for a pattern, draw a diagram, using the solution of simplify the problem, write an equation or inequality. At the end of the education, answers to the sub-problems were sought by applying the post-test to the whole group and using appropriate tests in the analysis of the data obtained by calculating the LGS scores of mathematics. At the end of the study, it was observed that most of the students had weak and medium-level strategic flexibility, that the instruction given increased the students' strategic flexibility scores in non-routine problem solving, and there was a positively moderate and significant relationship between the strategic flexibility score and LGS mathematics achievement. However, although there was a difference between LGS math scores of the students in the experimental group and control group, it was found that this difference was not statistically significant. Keywords: problem, problem solving, non-routine problem solving, non-routine problem solving strategies, strategic flexibility