An investigation of 5th grade students' solving of skill-based mathematical problems

The Turkish Century Education Model includes five mathematical domain skills: mathematical reasoning, mathematical problem-solving, mathematical representation, data-based and data based decision-making, and mathematical tools and technology. With the changes made by the Ministry of National Education to the problem types used in centralized assessment exams, it can be argued that skill-based questions require the active use of these skills in a problem solving context. It is considered important to identify the difficulties, strengths, and weaknesses experienced by fifth-grade students, especially during the transition from primary to middle school, in solving skill-based problems. In this context, the purpose of this study is to examine the skill-based mathematical problem-solving skills of fifth-grade middle school students. The study participants were selected using criterion sampling, a purposive sampling method, and consisted of six fifth-grade middle school students (three girls and three boys). This research was designed using a case study design, a qualitative research approach. A researcher developed interview form containing 10 skill-based math problems was used in the data collection process. Data were collected through semi-structured clinical interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded with the student and parent's consent. The interviews lasted approximately 60 minutes with each student. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using content analysis. The audio recordings recorded during the interviews were transcribed chronologically. The findings indicated that 5th-grade students experienced difficulties in the skill-based problem-solving process at the problem comprehension stage in mathematical reasoning-based problems, at the plan implementation stage in mathematical representation-based problems, at the plan implementation stage in data-based and data-based decision-making-based problems, at the problem comprehension and plan implementation stage in problems based on the ability to work with mathematical tools and technology, and generally at the plan implementation stage in mathematical problem-solving-based problems. When the students' strengths across all problems are examined, it can be said that they are mostly proficient at the plan-making stage.