Investigation of the effect of teaching using ethnomathematics applications on the problem-solving skills and affective behavior of students

In this study, it is aimed to examine the effect of teaching the subject of transformation geometry, including ethnomathematics applications, on students' problem-solving skills, attitudes toward geometry, mathematics anxiety, and self-efficacy toward geometry. In addition, student responses obtained through the ethnomathematics activity sheets given to the students during the teaching were examined in terms of various variables (understanding the culture-mathematics relationship, learning mathematical knowledge, conceptual and operational understanding, student difficulties and misconceptions, students' designs). While the research, in which quantitative and qualitative methods were used together, was carried out with the experimental method, the quantitative results were obtained from the analysis of the data obtained by the experimental method, and the qualitative results were obtained by analyzing the student responses in the activities with the case study method. In the study, which was carried out with a pretest-posttest control group, teaching supported by ethnomathematics was carried out in the experimental group while teaching continued with the traditional method in the control group. In the collection of quantitative data in the study, the Problem-Solving Test (PÇT) developed by the researcher, the Attitude Scale towards Geometry developed by Bulut, Ekici, İşeri, and Helvacı (2002), the Mathematics Anxiety Scale, the validity and reliability of which was studied by Cantürk-Günhan and Başer (2007) and Self-Efficacy Scale towards Geometry developed by Özdemir and Gür (2011) was used. Qualitative data were obtained from the ethnomathematics activity sheets given to the students during the teaching process in the experimental group. The problem-solving skill assessment scale developed by Baki (2006) was used in the analysis of the data obtained from the PCT, and the competencies determined by the researcher were used in the evaluation of the activity sheets. As a result of the research, it was seen that teaching supported by ethnomathematics increased the students' skills in understanding the problem, preparing a plan, and implementing the plan, which is one of the problem-solving steps, but it did not have a significant effect on their skills in the evaluation step. Within the framework of the findings obtained from the PCT, it was seen that teaching supported by ethnomathematics increased students' problem-solving skills, as well as their solution skills in daily life problems and traditional problems in the test. According to the data obtained from the ethnomathematics activity sheets, it was seen that the students' awareness of the culture-mathematics relationship and their mathematical learning increased in the process, their conceptual and procedural knowledge improved, and they presented original designs within the scope of the activities. Finally, students' misconceptions and difficulties about transformation geometry were revealed through activity sheets.