Investigation of the effects of artificial intelligence supported education on four operation skills of 6th grade secondary school students

The aim of this thesis is to examine the effects of AI-assisted education on the four operations skills of 6th grade middle school students. A case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The study was conducted with 26 6th grade students in a public school located in the Kepez district of Antalya province during the 2024-2025 academic year. Findings obtained from the observation forms collected from the students and the focus group interview were interpreted and analyzed. The findings show that AI-assisted education improved the four operations skills of 6th grade middle school students. Before the application, it was observed that the students did not go beyond traditional solution strategies and could not apply these strategies correctly. Including many different strategies besides traditional solution strategies in AI-assisted education increased the efficiency of the course and enabled students to achieve more meaningful learning. It has also been observed that the use of AI in education increased students' motivation towards the course and positively changed their perspectives towards AI and mathematics. These results demonstrate that AI applications in education have significant potential for improving fundamental mathematical skills; however, the study's limited sample size of only 26 students limits the generalizability of the findings. Future research is recommended to include larger samples, across different socioeconomic levels, and mixed-use designs. Furthermore, the effects of AI-supported education on higher-order cognitive skills such as problem solving, logical reasoning, and analytical thinking should be examined.