Evaluation of the effects of enriched education program (EEP) on students' critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and mathematics anxiety

The purpose of this research is to determine whether it differentiates levels of mathematics anxiety, critical thinking skills and problem solving skills among the students who are applied or not with EEP (Enriched Education Program) in fourth grade elementary school. This research was carried out among the fourth grade randomly selected students with a total of 30 students in 2014-2015 academic years in two private schools in Kutahya city centre attached to the Ministry of Education. EEP (Enriched Education Program) was implemented on the experimental group while the control group did not receive any applications. In the research 2x3 (experimental / control groups X pre-test / post-test / screening test) split-plot design was used. In order to collect data Problem Solving Inventory for Children (PSIC), Mathematics Anxiety Inventory (MAI) and The Cornell Conditional-Reasoning Test, Form X (CCT-X) were administered on experimental and control groups' students in Elementary School three times in different time intervals (when session began, when completed and three months after termination). According to the results; children subjected to EEP program was concluded that they carry less mathematics anxiety than their peers who were not subjected to this program. In contrast, children who were trained by EEP compared to peers not subject to this program have not seen statistical evidence in terms of higher problem solving skills and wider critical thinking skills. In addition, the sub-fields of EEP such as visual perception, productivity and skills of thinking is only positive and statistically significant relationship between productivity with mathematics anxiety and critical thinking but there is no significant relationship between other variables. Keywords: Enriched education program, critical thinking skills, mathematics anxiety, problem solving skills