The qualification levels of in-service elementary school mathematics teachers on the sub-learning strands, namely transformational geometry, geometric objects,pattern and tessellations

In this research, it was aimed at to determine the qualifications of in-service elementary school mathematics teachers related to the sub-learning strands, namely transformational geometry, geometric objects, pattern and tessellations. Some other variables such as age, gender, professional status, their receiving in-service training or seminar about the new curriculum are also taken into consideration.Firstly, an achievement test composed of 23 questions was developed and applied to the 25 in-service elementary school mathematics teachers working in Bolu. After assessing analyzing the data, the semi-structured interviews were applied to six teachers who are randomly selected out of 25 in-service primary school mathematics teachers.The obtained data was examined and analyzed with a packet program by the researcher. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were implemented. First finding of the research implied that the participants were more qualified on the sub-learning strand called transformational geometry (%79) than the other sub-learning strands called geometric objects (%56), pattern and tessellations (%56). The participants had the same qualification rates on the topics such as reflection (%84) and translation (%84), but they had a lower qualification rate on the rotation topic (%68). When gender variable was taken into consideration, it was found that in-service female primary school mathematics teachers (% 57) were more qualified than male counterparts (%33) on the sub-learning strands called transformational geometry, geometric objects, pattern and tessellations.When the age variable was taken into consideration, the qualifications of the teachers related to the transformational geometry (translation-reflection-rotation), geometric objects, pattern and tessellations were different from each other. It was found that the most competent teachers were between the ages of 31-45 (%64) and the least competent teachers were at the age of 46 or older (%10).In this research, when the professional status were taken as the variable, the qualification levels on the transformational geometry (translation-reflection-rotation), geometric objects, pattern and tessellations were the highest for teachers working for 11 to 20 years (%70) and these levels were the lowest for teachers working for 21 years or more (%10). When the variables such as teachers? receiving in-service training or seminar related to the new curriculum were taken into consideration, the qualification levels on the transformational geometry (translation-reflection-shifting), geometric objects, pattern and tessellations were higher for teachers who had received in-service training or seminar than for teachers who had not received either of them before.Key Words: Mathematics curriculum, elementary school mathematics teacher, transformational geometry, geometric objects, pattern and tessellation.