The sixth graders? problem posing and solving abilities in sets, fractions and four operations

The purpose of this study was to determine the sixth graders? problem posing and solving abilities in mathematics and to examine the effects of variables, such as gender, parental support, teacher support, working hours per week, course grade, and so forth on the students? problem posing and solving abilities in mathematics. This study took place in Afyonkarahisar. There were a total of four hundreds eighty five students, 245 female and 240 male, involved in this study.The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative research methods in this study. The researcher employed a Problem Posing and Solving Form to collect data in the study. This research instrument developed by the researcher consists of two parts. First part includes seven statements about the students? personal information and second part is in a classic test form that includes math stories or scenarios. The participants had to use these given stories to generate new problems and solve these new problems. The researcher either took the stories directly from the reform based sixth grade math books or benefited from those books. The measurement tool was piloted after the review of the experts in the field. The researcher made changes based on the students? views on the tool and then gave the final form to the research instrument. After the collection of data, the researcher used descriptive statistics, Independent samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA in the analysis of it.The study showed that most of the participants were successful in generating new problems. The students were the most successful in the first type of generating new problems in which the students use the given information (figure, statement, number, and so on) to generate new problems. This was followed by the second type of generating new problems (the students first find the missing information on the given problem and then complete it by him/herself) and then followed by the third one (the students first find the more information on the problem statement, remove them and then generate new problems).However, the study pointed out that the students did not show the same success as they did in the problem posing. Moreover, while gender was a more efficient factor among others in problem posing favoring female students, teacher support, course grade, working hours per week, self assessment in mathematics, having difficulty in math, and parental support were more efficient factors among others in problem solving. Liking mathematics as a variable had equal effects on students in both problem posing and problem solving.