The reflection of realistic mathematics education approach on secondary school students' opinions on the nature of mathematics

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of learning environments designed for Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) on the perceptions of sixth-grade secondary school students regarding the nature of mathematics. The study employed a qualitative research approach, adopting a single case study design. The study group consisted of 21 sixth-grade students, 13 girls and 8 boys, studying at a public secondary school in a medium-sized province in Eastern Anatolia during the 2022-2023 academic year. The RME approach was employed in the study, with the objective of designing and implementing learning environments related to the acquisition of knowledge within the Sets sub-learning area. This was achieved over a period of 10 lesson hours. Structured and semi-structured interview forms and student diaries were employed to elicit students' perspectives on the definition of mathematics, the source of mathematics, the accuracy of mathematical knowledge, mathematical applications and the experience of doing mathematics before and after the implementation of RME applications. The data obtained were subjected to content analysis, which revealed that RME practices were effective in changing and deepening students' definitions of mathematics, their views on the source of mathematics and the accuracy of mathematical knowledge. Furthermore, the practices raised awareness about where mathematics is used, but did not make a deep difference about how it is used. Finally, the practices raised awareness about doing mathematics. In light of these findings, it can be proposed that learning environments for RME applications should be designed, implemented and disseminated.