The analysis of sixth grade students skills at mathematical modelling

The purpose of this study is to reveal the mathematical modeling (MD) process skills of students studying in the sixth grade of elementary education. Teaching experiment, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The study group of the study consists of a total of 22 (10 female, 12 male) sixth grade students studying in a secondary school in a district of a province with a high population in Eastern Anatolia in the 2018-2019 academic year. All participants attend the same branch. The study group was determined in accordance with the easily accessible sampling rule. The mathematical modeling activity was conducted in three weeks 12 lecture hours in the form of two phases, one pilot and one actual practice. The data was collected with the help of in-class observation notes, students' working papers, video recordings and transcripts. As a result of this study; It is seen that the students' views put forward during MD activities are not based on data or observation. In this process, it is also seen that they effectively use symbols, rules and operations that they have learned before, or even produce symbols, rules and operations that they have not learned before. Finally, it is seen that in the MD activity process, students propose different mathematical models but have inadequacies in the process of making assumptions which are the steps before model building and testing the validity of the model obtained in real life.