The effect of problem posing based activities on operations with integer number on students' problem solving success

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of problem-posing activities in the teaching of the topic Operations with Integers on students' problem-solving achievement, retention of learning, and their views on the learning process. The study was conducted within the framework of a quasi-experimental design with a control group. The study group consisted of 36 seventh-grade students attending a public school in the Taşköprü district of Kastamonu province during the first semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. Through random assignment, one of the two classes was designated as the experimental group and the other as the control group; the experimental group included 17 students, while the control group included 19 students. During the data collection process, a readiness test covering the topic of integers was administered to determine the students' prior knowledge. Upon completion of the implementation phase, both groups were administered a Problem-Solving Achievement Test related to Operations with Integers. Additionally, a retention test consisting of similar questions was administered after a certain period to evaluate the permanence of learning. To identify students' opinions regarding the problem-posing activities, a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was also used as a data collection tool. In addition to these, the problems created by the students within the scope of the researcher-developed problem-posing activities were analyzed to obtain qualitative data regarding students' problem-posing skills and levels of conceptual understanding. In this study, quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 2022 software, while qualitative data were evaluated through content analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the instructional process supported by problem-posing activities significantly improved students' problem-solving success and positively influenced the retention of learning. The significant difference between the experimental and control groups indicates that problem-posing-based approaches make important contributions to students' learning processes. Furthermore, the majority of students stated that the lessons became more enjoyable, that they took pleasure in the problem-posing activities, and that they would like to see such activities applied to other topics as well.