Examination of 8th grade students' mathematical modeling processes and the problem solving strategies they use

The purpose of this research is to examine which processes of the modeling cycle eighth- grade students go through and which problem-solving strategies they employ when solving mathematical modeling problems. The research was limited to eight students, five mathematical modeling activities, a four-week period, and the ten most frequently used problem-solving strategies. A case study method, a qualitative research method, was used in the study. This method was chosen to provide an in-depth examination of the problem- solving processes and strategies used by four groups of two students each when solving mathematical modeling problems. The participants of the study were eight eighth-grade students (two girls and six boys) enrolled in a public middle school during the second semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. The data collection tools for the study included video recordings of the implementation process, direct observations, semi-structured interviews, and the students' individual solution sheets. The video recordings were analyzed using MAXQDA, a professional qualitative data analysis software that facilitates the organization, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data. The students' solution sheets were analyzed using document analysis. Individual interviews 10 with the students were audio-recorded with the students' permissions. The audio recordings were transcribed by the researcher, edited in Microsoft Word, and incorporated into the data analysis. The findings are presented under two headings: the problem-solving strategies used by the students in the mathematical modeling process and the processes involved in the modeling cycle when solving mathematical modeling problems. Formalized mathematical modeling problems and unformalized mathematical modeling problems were discussed separately. The results are discussed with similar studies. The findings of the study indicate that the strategies "using variables" and "working backwards" were not used at all. The most frequently used strategy by students was reasoning. The least frequently used strategies were systematic listing and guess and check. Students employed different strategies in mathematical modeling problems of different structures. The results obtained from the solution process of formalized mathematical modeling problems indicate that students with low and moderate academic achievement sometimes become bored and unwilling to continue solving the problem and sometimes become ambitious and want to achieve the best possible solution. The results obtained from the solution process of unformalized mathematical modeling problems indicate that academically high-level students experience low self-confidence in these types of problems and are dissatisfied with them. Students with high academic achievement were found to be more successful than other students in the stages of creating and working with the mathematical model. Suggestions for future research are also included.