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This study examines how collective argumentation in the integration of the ACODESA method (collaborative learning, scientific debate and self-reflection) and GeoGebra can help students understand parametric equations. The participants of the study consist of 24 university students enrolled in a mathematics education programme at a state university in Turkey. Data were collected through students' written productions, screen recorder software, and transcriptions of the students' argumentations for selected groups. The collected data were analysed based on Toulmin's model. Results of the study indicate the use of GeoGebra in ACODESA method triggered a sense of understanding of parametric equations. It became apparent that the participants constructed parametric equations from existing knowledge of trigonometric identities, definition of function, and general form of the equation of a circle by making connections between algebraic and geometric representations. The integration of GeoGebra into ACODESA method also fostered some process aspects of mathematical reasoning (generalizing, conjecturing, and justifying) on parametric equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Admission into university in Turkey is very competitive and features a number of practical problems regarding not only the test administration process itself, but also concerning the psychometric properties of test scores. Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is seen as a possible alternative approach to solve these problems. In the first phase of the study, a series of CAT simulations based on real students' responses to science items were conducted in order to determine which test termination rule produced more comparable results with scores made on the paper and pencil version of the test. An average of 17 items was used to terminate the CAT administration for a reasonable reliability level as opposed to the normal 45 items. Moreover, CAT based science scores not only produced similar correlations when using mathematics subtest scores as an external criterion, but also ranked the students similarly to the paper and pencil test version. In the second phase, a live CAT administration was implemented using an item bank composed of 242 items with a group of students who had previously taken the exam the paper and pencil version of the test. A correlation of .76 was found between the CAT and paper and pencil scores for this group. The results seem to support the CAT version of the subtests as a feasible alternative approach in Turkey's university admission system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate senior engineering students' opinions on how the delivery of mathematics courses can be improved. A survey designed by the researcher was conducted on 605 (119 female, 486 male) prospective engineers to obtain feedback on how the mathematics courses they had taken in the engineering departments could have been improved. Data thus obtained were categorized according to themes, using qualitative analysis methods. The findings indicate that the senior engineering students' opinions can be categorized in 5 main and 16 sub themes. The main themes are: the content of the mathematics courses, the teaching style, the lecturer, the assessment process and the physical conditions of the classrooms. According to the results of this research, it is advisable that a commission consisting of faculty from engineering and mathematics departments collaborate on course content and in providing examples and problems that depict engineering applications of the mathematics taught. Use of such examples would solidify the need for mathematics in each specific area of engineering, while increasing the interest and motivation of engineering students towards the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the use of physical manipulatives, which have been emphasized to use in preschool education program and primary and secondary mathematics curriculum, in classroom environments is old, it is very new to use virtual manipulatives in classroom environments. The selection, preparation, and the integration to learning environments of both types of manipulatives are the most basic duties of teachers. However, the experiences, of using the physical and virtual manipulatives in course environments, of teachers and pre-service teachers are influenced by beliefs about the nature, teaching and learning of mathematics. The aim of this study is to determine and compare the beliefs of teachers and pre-service teachers in different branches for the use of virtual and physical manipulatives in mathematics education. For this purpose, 148 teachers, in the provinces of Trabzon, Kars and Gümüshane, and 228 pre-service teachers, in the Education Faculties of Karadeniz Technical University and Kafkas University, have been applied two types of scales and interviews have been conducted with 40 teachers and pre-service teachers selected from that sample. Frequencies, percentages and arithmetic averages have been used to analyze the data. As a result, the majority of teachers and pre-service teachers have been identified to carry positive beliefs for the use of virtual and physical manipulatives in mathematics education and they have expressed that they desire to use both types of manipulatives more in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problem solving strategies, problem solving episodes, and metacognitions of five Turkish high school freshmen and explore the interplay of these on their problem solving success in mathematics. Participants worked on ten problems selected among the released mathematical literacy items used in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003. The research data had been collected through clinical interviews and a self-monitoring questionnaire filled by the participants. The data were coded and analysed according to a framework adopted from various researchers in the field. Our results have confirmed that the problem solving success is too complex to be clarified by a unique property or behaviour of the solver. It requires overcoming various obstacles to reach a successful result. Therefore, not only the students should have the required mathematical knowledge and a good repertoire of different problem solving strategies, but also they should know when and how to use those strategies, along with monitoring and regulating their problem-solving processes using their metacognitive skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between math anxiety, math attitudes, and self-efficacy. Participants were 372 university students who were enrolled in Sakarya University, in Turkey. In this study, the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, the Mathematics Attitudes Scale, and the Self-efficacy Scale were used. Using correlation analysis, math anxiety was found negatively related to positive attitudes and self-efficacy and positively to negative attitudes. On the other hand, positive attitudes were found positively associated with self-efficacy and negatively with negative attitudes. According to the path analysis results, positive attitudes were predicted positively and negative attitudes predicted negatively by self-efficacy. Also, self-efficacy and positive attitudes predicted math anxiety in a negative way and negative attitudes predicted math anxiety in a positive way. Results were discussed in the light of literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing nature of student population, developments in technology, and insufficient number of traditional universities have made online courses popular around the globe. This study was designed to investigate the current practices of teaching mathematics online in Turkish Universities through a qualitative inquiry. The snowball sampling method was utilized to select course professors teaching math courses online in Turkish universities located in the central Anatolia. The descriptive qualitative analysis resulted in nine categories which were summarized in four themes. The main themes were online course design, online course teaching, student assessment, and effectiveness of online courses. The results showed that faculty members are able to teach math courses online despite the application-based nature of the math. Future investigation should study the experiences of students in online math courses to provide a deep understanding of online math courses from the student perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]