T examination of problems posted by secondary school 7th grade students about rational numbers in the context of mathematization

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the problems posed by 7th grade middle school students on the subject of rational numbers in the context of mathematization. The application was carried out with 50 students studying in a middle school located in Afyonkarahisar. In the study, a Problem Posing Test consisting of 15 questions, expert opinions of which were obtained, was applied. The data obtained from this test were examined according to the theme of mathematization. The mathematization processes that emerged during the problem posing process were determined using qualitative analysis methods. The data obtained from the problem-posing test administered to students were analyzed in two stages. In the first stage, the students' problem-posing skills were analyzed, and the problems they created were classified accordingly. In the second stage, the mathematization levels of the solvable problems were analyzed based on the rubric developed for this purpose. The results of the study revealed that although the students were generally successful in problem posing, the problems they constructed were mostly at a basic level. Furthermore, when the mathematization levels of the solvable problems were evaluated according to the categories specified in the rubric, it was found that in free problem situations, students performed well in realistic context, mathematical operations, and reasoning-communication levels, whereas their iv performance was low in the representation and flexibility-creativity levels. In semistructured problem situations, students demonstrated good performance in realistic context, mathematical operations, and reasoning-communication levels, while their performance was moderate in representation and flexibility-creativity categories. In structured problem situations, students showed good performance only in the mathematical operations category, whereas their performance in realistic context, representation, and reasoning-communication categories was at a moderate level.