Investigating 8th grade students? thinking manners about fractals

The purpose of this study is to investigate comprehension, perception and thinking manners of 8th grade students? who are in different success level about fractals.Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used together. For that purpose at first as a qualitative method, survey method was used for investigating 8th grade students? success level about fractals. Case study which is one of the qualitative research methods was used to investigate 8th grade students? tkinking manners about fractals.In the first stage of the research, fractal geometry achievement test which was developed by the researcher was applied to 8th grade students? of Karabağlar İyiburnaz Primary School for reliability and item analysis. Due to the results of the application, Cronbach Alpha coefficient of the achievement test was found as 0,812.In the next stage of the research, fractal geometry achievement test was applied mainly to 8th grade students of Karabağlar ilkkurşun Primary School that is randomly chosen in İzmir city.Due to the scores of the achievement test, students were chosen from three different success levels that are low, intermediate and high. Four students from each level were chosen and qualitative part of research was studied with 12 students. Case study as a qualitative research method was used to determine thinking manners about Fractal pattens of chosen student groups. For this purpose, clinical interview questions were developed by the researcher. Students? thinking manners were analysed according to given answers to interview questions. The researcher tried to investigate the thinking manners about fractal patterns.Due to the results of the case study, students don?t have enough knowledge about the concept of self similarity and iteration. Students have difficulties in understanding relationship between steps of fractal patterns. Students used terms of Euclidean Geometry to identify objects that have regular shapes. However they prefer to draw analogies to identifying objects that have irregular shapes.Keywords: Fractal geometry teaching, primary school of 8th grade, thinking manner