Awareness of secondary school mathematics teachers about mathematical modeling

This research was conducted to determine the awareness of secondary school mathematics teachers about mathematical modeling. In this research, the design Qualitative> qualitative design from the sequential design group of mixed research methods was used. The study group consisted of 29 mathematics teachers working in secondary schools in a middle-sized province of the Eastern Anatolia Region. "Mathematical Modeling Interview Form" and "Observation Form of Mathematical Modeling" were used as the data collection tool. The data obtained were subjected to content analysis and descriptive analysis. As a result of the analysis; Most of the teachers defined mathematical modeling as a model building or model building process, but the word process refers to the use of concrete materials. Besides, the analysis disclosed that the teachers used mathematical modeling mostly on algebraic expressions, four operations in whole numbers and fractions. In the research, no difference was found in terms of using mathematical modeling as a result of the course observations of teachers who are educated and not trained in mathematical modeling. As a result, it was determined that the mathematical modeling awareness of secondary school mathematics teachers was quite low and they confused mathematical modeling with mathematics modeling. Enriching the contents of the resources that teachers use and follow the most in terms of mathematical modeling situations/problems and providing trainings to teachers about how mathematical modeling can be used in the courses are among the research recommendations.