An Examination of Learned Helplessness and Abstract Thinking in Mathematics Education of Fifth Graders in Terms of Some Variables

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The purpose of this study is to examine 5th grade elementary school students’ learned helplessness and abstract thinking ability in mathematics in terms of certain variables (such as gender, school, grade point average in mathematics, teacher attitude, out of school support). Scanning Model was used in this study. Sample of the study constituted students of fifth grade from four elementary schools in the city center of Sivas. The schools were determined by their SBS exam points (Two highest and two lowest average points-school selected: Cumhuriyet University, Kanuni, Mehmet Akif, İstiklal, and Fevzi Paşa) 292 fifth grade students were selected. The Learned Helplessness in Mathematics Scale developed by Koğ and Baser (2011) and Abstract Reasoning Test in Mathematics were used as instruments of measurement. Upon collecting data through the scales, frequency, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis one-way independent samples and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. As a result of the study, there were significant differences in all variables in terms of in the abstract thinking skills and learned helplessness in mathematics. Based on these results, such suggestions as encouraging students success by offering them a variety of activities, making students active in the learning process, incorporating current issues in the course design, giving concrete examples of events to maximize attention and creating a classroom atmosphere that will enhance students self-esteem were made to reduce the students learned helplessness in mathematics and to improve abstract thinking skills.

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Mathematics education , learned helplessness , abstract thinking.

Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

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Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi