An investigation of middle school mathematics teachers' and students' attitudes towards skill-based mathematics questions

The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable inventory to measure middle school mathematics teachers' views on skill-based mathematics questions; to examine these views in relation to various variables, and also to determine students' attitudes towards skill-based questions in order to investigate the influence of teachers' views on students' attitudes. This research was conducted using a quantitative survey model. Data were collected from 44 mathematics teachers and 1,032 middle school students in a small district located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data regarding teachers were obtained using the "Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Opinions Inventory on Skill-Based Questions (OMÖBCTSE)," while student data were gathered through the "Attitude Scale Toward New Generation Mathematics Questions." Content validity of the newly developed inventory was assessed via expert review, construct validity was tested through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses, and reliability was determined using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. Findings revealed that OMÖBCTSE has a three-factor structure and possesses acceptable levels of validity and reliability.According to the results, teacher opinions did not significantly differ by gender, level of education, or years of professional experience. Student attitudes differed significantly by gender, and it was observed that as grade level increased, attitude scores declined. Although a statistically significant relationship was found between teacher opinions and student attitudes, the nature of this relationship was not linear and appeared to be shaped by contextual and instructional factors. These findings suggest that while teacher perspectives influence student attitudes to some extent, this relationship is mediated by broader classroom dynamics and contextual elements rather than being directly deterministic. Keywords: Skill-based questions, Teacher opinion, Student attitude, Scale development.