Views of Elementary Mathematics Teachers about Mental Games Course


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ALKAŞ ULUSOY Ç., SAYGI E., Umay A.

HACETTEPE UNIVERSITESI EGITIM FAKULTESI DERGISI-HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, cilt.32, sa.2, ss.280-294, 2017 (ESCI) identifier identifier

Özet

This study is performed in order to reveal Elementary Mathematics Teachers' views related to Mental Games course that its implementation is fairly new. The study group consists of 25 Elementary Mathematics Teachers. In this study, case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, has been applied. Data has been collected by applying a questionnaire developed by researchers and consisted of open-ended questions. The questions examine the contribution of Mental Games course to the mathematics education and mathematical skills, evaluation of Mental Games Course Curriculum and the deficiencies of curriculum. According to the findings obtained, teachers have criticized that "Mental" word in Mental Games Course might create negative thoughts and anxiety in students. The majority of teachers shared their views that Mental Games course would make positive contributions on mathematics education in general, and on mathematical skills and the affective characteristics related to mathematics in particular. While teachers have shared their views about Mental Games course curriculum, they have highlighted the difficulty of implementing the program in a classroom where students have been from different grade levels also, teachers have mentioned some difficulties such as lack of material encountered in the classroom in terms of teaching the course, the lack of class equipments, the time problems, and crowded and heterogeneous groups.