Examination of refugee students' attitude and anxiety towards mathematics according to different variables

EXAMINATION OF REFUGEE STUDENTS' ATTITUDE AND ANXIETY TOWARDS MATHEMATICS ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT VARIABLES Since refugee students encounter a different education system and culture, they may experience some adaptation difficulties in this process. Since mathematics is an important field in terms of teaching and learning processes, daily life and career opportunities, understanding refugee students' attitudes towards mathematics is important in terms of providing them with a more comprehensive and effective education. This research aims to examine the attitudes and anxiety of refugee students from different ethnic, cultural and linguistic groups regarding mathematics under variables such as gender, grade level, ethnicity, length of living in Turkey and academic success. In a survey study conducted with 204 refugee students (154 female and 50 male) studying in a public middle school in Istanbul in the 2022-2023 academic year, Hacıömeroğlu's (2017) validated and reliable Attitude Towards Mathematics Scale and Kul et al.'s (2024) modified abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale, which were translated into Turkish and found to be valid and reliable, were used. A statistical package program was preferred to analyse the data, and the normality assumption of continuous variables was determined with the Shapiro-Wilk test. After the normality analysis, the mean differences of the two groups were examined with the t-test, and multiple group comparisons were examined with the One-Way ANOVA and Levene test. Significant differences were determined by the Tukey test. According to the research results, while the mathematics attitudes of refugee students were above average, a significant difference was found between genders. However, no significant differences were detected according to grade level, ethnicity, academic achievement and life expectancy in Turkey. The average level of students' mathematics anxiety levels was measured as above average, and no significant relationship was observed with these variables. Educators and support programs should consider the gender differences in attitudes toward mathematics and the high anxiety levels of refugee students. These approaches can enhance the effectiveness of mathematics education and reduce students' anxiety levels. Keywords: Refugee Students, Mathematics Education, Mathematics Attitude, Mathematics Anxiety