Mathematics instruction integrated with sociomathematical subjects: an action research on developing awareness of social justice and equality values and problem posing skill

The purposes of the study are to examine the effect of mathematics education integrated with sociomathematical subjects at secondary school seventh grade level on developing students' problem posing skills and their awareness of social justice and equality values, to determine the problems encountered during the practice process, come up with solutions for the problems determined, and evaluate the solutions produced by implementing them. Towards this purpose the study is carried out as an action research. In determining the participants, the criterion sampling method among the purposeful sampling methods was conducted in the study. The facts that the participants receive a mathematics practices course at the seventh-grade level in a public school located in a middle-socioeconomic area, that a problem is experienced in the class in relation to the determined problem status have been considered as criteria for the selection of participants. In this direction, the participants of the study were 17 seventh-grade students receiving the mathematics practices course in the second semester of the 2014-2015 academic year at a public school located in a middle-socioeconomic area in Yüreğir district of Adana province. In the study, a ten-week practice was carried out. The quantitative data in the study were collected with the Determination Form of the Awareness Levels of Social Justice and Equality Values and the Problem Posing Skill Test developed by the researcher, and both assessment tools were applied twice before and after the practice. The qualitative data of the study were collected by means of semi-structured interviews for determining awareness of social justice and equality values and views on the problem posing skill before and after the practice, course video records of the practice process, student self-evaluations of each course, and semi-structured interviews for determining views of some students on the practice process at the end of each cycle. Within the scope of the data analysis, while the t-test was used for the dependent samples for the quantitative data, the inductive analysis and deductive analysis in accordance with the content analysis approach and descriptive analysis approaches were used for qualitative data. Within the scope of the validity and reliability studies of the research data, while the cases of the variation of qualitative data, expert examination, long-term interaction, detailed description and reporting, checking representability and sampling selection, checking the researcher effects, technical quality of the records and quality of the transcripts were considered, Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance was calculated for the quantitative data. According to the current situation assessment findings obtained in the research, it was determined that students had low awareness of social justice and equality values and problem posing skills before the practice. Since the students' awareness of social justice and equality values and problem posing skills were not enough before the practice, therefore it was decided to conduct an action research with the thought that they should be developed. In the process of action research, it was determined that there were problems about having difficulty at problem posing and deficiencies in language and expression, interruption of the class by outsiders, having difficulty in basic four operation skills and in operating with large numbers, the lack of previous knowledge of the subject addressed, having difficulty in problem-solving. It was determined that there was a significant difference in the comparison of pretest and posttest scores for the Determination Form of the Awareness Levels of Social Justice and Equality Values of the students in favor of posttest scores. This fact was also supported by the qualitative findings. In this context, as a result of the practice, the level of students' awareness about the values of social justice and equality has been increased. It was determined that there was a significant difference in the scores of the pretest and posttest for students' Problem Posing Skill Test in favor of the posttest scores. In this context, the result of the practice is that the level of problem-posing skill of the students has significantly increased. It has been determined that this situation is also supported by the qualitative findings. In the light of these results, it has been determined that mathematics teaching integrated with sociomathematical subjects is effective in increasing the students' problem posing skills and their awareness of social justice and equality values. Moreover, the findings about the evaluation of the instruction showed that the students' views were generally positive about the teaching mathematics integrated with the sociomathematical subjects.