Providing problem posing and solving skills to 7th grade students through mathematics lesson activities using realistic mathematics education approach in virtual reality environment: A case study

The purpose of this research is to reveal the problem solving and posing skills of 7th grade students in the unit "Operations with Integers" in a learning environment designed in accordance with the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) approach, where virtual reality (VR) and smart board technologies are used. In addition, it aims to reveal the students' skills in using VR glasses in the same learning environment and to reveal the students' views on the effects of the VR and smart board technologies used on problem solving and posing skills. In the study, the case study model, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The study group of the research consists of a total of 20 students studying in the 7th grade in a village school in Bingöl province in the 2023-2024 academic year. The data of the research were collected using the data collection tools "Problem Posing and Solving Skills Test", "Problem Posing and Solving Skills Evaluation Rubric", "Semi-Structured Interview Form" and "Classroom Observation Form". Within the scope of the research, the data collected with the rubric form were analyzed with descriptive analysis, and the data collected with the interview and observation forms were analyzed with content analysis techniques. As a result of the research, it was seen that the students' mathematical problem solving and posing skills were inadequate. In the interviews conducted with the students, it was revealed that the activities carried out with VR and smart board were realistic and fun. It has been determined that the activities especially carried out with VR glasses are interactive like games, and the activities carried out with the smart board enrich the lesson visually. For this reason, it was determined that the students' problem-solving and posing skills improved with the activities. In addition, it was revealed that the activities made it easier for students to understand the problems. On the other hand, it was observed that the students did not have sufficient knowledge on developing strategies to solve the problem and creating a new problem, therefore they had difficulty in this regard. In addition, it was observed that most of the students learned to use VR glasses in a short time, even though they were using them for the first time. The majority of students were able to complete the activities without any problems with VR glasses. On the other hand, some students expressed negative opinions about VR glasses because they are wired, cause sweating, and are difficult to use. Based on all these results, it can be said that the use of VR and smart board technologies in learning environments designed with the GME approach contributes positively to students' problem solving and posing skills.