Evaluation of mathematics teachers' application process of mathematical modeling activities

Mathematical modeling develops students' analytical thinking, problem solving and critical thinking skills. By analyzing real-life data, students gain the ability to analyze problems, form hypotheses, interpret results, and present results appropriately. Students should receive education in order to have mathematical modeling knowledge and competence in order to keep up with the developing age at all levels. However, it is one of the first problems that should be considered that the teachers who will train them should be equipped in this regard. The aim of this study is to reveal the knowledge and competence of secondary school teachers about the use of mathematical modeling activities. In the research, a case study was conducted with 4 secondary school mathematics teachers. Preliminary knowledge of the teachers about mathematical modeling was obtained through semi-structured interview and conclusions were reached regarding this. It was revealed that the teachers did not have full knowledge of the mathematical modeling activities and process, and they interpreted it as concretization in general. In addition, after the preliminary interview with the teachers, a seminar on mathematical modeling was given to the teachers and mathematical modeling practices were observed in the lessons of the teachers. Observation form data tool was used in the lessons. According to the results of the research after the trainings and practices, it was determined that the teachers did not fully understand the concept of mathematical modeling and applied the principles of model building incompletely. It has been observed that some teachers have successfully applied mathematical modeling activities. Afterwards, a final interview with the teachers and an interview with the students about the application were made. The results revealed that the teachers understood mathematical modeling but were not willing to use mathematical modeling applications in their lessons. The reason is that modeling activities take a lot of time and teachers do not have enough equipment in this regard. It was concluded that the students had positive opinions about these activities. The students stated that they found mathematical modeling activities to be fun and necessary to develop thinking. When the results are evaluated, it can be said that teachers need in-service training in order to better understand mathematical modeling, develop their model building skills, and use mathematical modeling activities effectively in their classrooms. The findings of this study may contribute to research aimed at raising awareness about mathematical modeling and encouraging teachers to use this method more effectively. In addition, since it takes a lot of time, it can be evaluated that secondary school course topics can be narrowed down and more mathematical modeling activities can be applied in elective mathematics applications courses. Keywords: Mathematical model, Mathematical Modeling, Secondary School Mathematics Teachers, Student Opinions