The effect of the history of mathematics on in-class interaction and student opinions

The methods used in maths teaching and teachers have a great impact on students' fear of maths lesson. One of the methods that may relieve students' fear of maths, make them love maths, help them associate maths with daily life and see the processes maths has been through until today, is maths history. This study aims to determine how the use of the history of mathematics in 7th-grade mathematics lessons affects classroom interaction and student views. The action research method was used in the research. The study was carried out with 25 students studying at 7th grade in Giresun in the second semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. In the study, "Views on the History of Mathematics Scale", interview and observations were used as data collection tools. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative data were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method, while quantitative data were analyzed using methods such as table, graph, and arithmetic mean. As a result of the study, learning environments enriched with the history of mathematics increased teacher-student and student-student interaction. In addition, the average scores of the students regarding Views on the History of Mathematics Scale increased after teaching applications enriched with the history of mathematics. At the end of the study, recommendations were made regarding the results of the study and for future research.