Author/Authors :
BOZKURT, Ali Gaziantep Üniversitesi - Eğitim Fakültesi - İlköğretim Matematik Öğretmenliği , KURAN, Kamil Gaziantep Üniversitesi - Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü
Abstract :
The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ opinions about implementing activities in mathematics textbooks and designing mathematics activities. A data collection instrument with three open-ended items was given to 283 in-service teachers. Out of these 283 individuals, 112 were classroom teachers, 89 were middle school mathematics teachers and 83 were high school mathematics teachers. The descriptive study was conducted utilizing the survey model. Participants’ responses to the open-ended items were analyzed via qualitative content analysis techniques. The findings indicate that about half of the teachers (52 %) were not satisfied with the mathematics activities in the textbooks. Another finding is that high school teachers in general show resistance to use mathematics activities. The participants noted various reasons for not implementing mathematics activities, including inadequate quality of the activities, lack of instructional materials, not being appropriate for the knowledge and experience levels of students, concerns about students’ taking high-stake standardized tests, and concerns about finishing the subject matter on time. They also indicated that large class sizes, unmotivated students and mathematics activities that discourage student learning were the main reasons for unsatisfactory outcomes of implementing activities. On the other hand, about two thirds of the participants (65 %) mentioned cited that they design and implement their own activities besides the textbook activities. The teachers who used their own activities mainly stated that such activities were more effective than the ones provided by the textbooks. They pointed out that teacher-designed activities were careful about students’ academic achievement levels; so they were more helpful in promoting student learning and motivation. In this context, activities which will be included in mathematics textbooks should be prepared taking into account the reasons which teachers are not able to design and implement. In addition, teachers should be encouraged to design and implement their own lesson activities and they are suggested to get professional support in these topics.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Mathematics textbooks , mathematical activities , activity design , activity implementation
