The effect of ethnomathematics activities on 6th grade students' attitudes to problem solving

The aim of the study is to examine the effects of ethnomathematics activities on the problem-solving attitudes of 6th-grade students and to determine student opinions on problem-solving activities that incorporate ethnomathematics. 40 6th grade students studying in a secondary school in Ayvacık district of Samsun province in the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year, selected by purposeful sampling method, constitute the sample of the research. In this research, a mixed research model was used based on the interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data together. The reason for using the mixed research method is to find solutions to problems that are better explained by combining quantitative and qualitative research methods. In this study, an explanatory design was employed as a mixed research method to examine the impact of ethnomathematics activities on problem-solving attitudes, leveraging the complementary nature of qualitative and quantitative data. As a data collection tool for the qualitative data of the study, an interview form prepared by the researcher, which examining students' opinions on the use of applied ethnomathematics activities in mathematics teaching, was used. Quantitative data were collected using the Mathematics Problem-Solving Attitude Scale (MPSAS). The data collection process started with the application of MPSS to the students in the experimental and control groups as a pre-test. Ethnomathematics activities were applied to the students of the experimental group for two hours a week during three weeks and the control group continued their standard education. At the end of the application, MPSAS was applied to the experimental and control group students as a post test, and 10 volunteer students selected from the experimental group were interviewed. The data obtained from MPSAS were transferred to the SPSS package program and analyzed with independent samples t-test and dependent samples t-test. C Analysis of qualitative data was done via content analysis. As a result of the research, while there was no significant difference between the pre-test scores of the experimental and control group students, there was a significant difference between the post-test scores. Data obtained from student interviews support these findings. Students reported positive changes in their feelings, thoughts, and approaches to problem-solving through ethnomathematics activities. In this context, it can be said that ethnomathematics activities have a positive impact on the problem-solving attitudes of 6th-grade students. The content and reasons for these effects were discussed in light of the qualitative data obtained.