INVESTIGATION OF KNOWLEDGE OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ABOUT PROBABILITY PROBLEMS

Abstract

The probability subject and problems about this subject can cause some difficulties for teachers as well as for students. In this context, this study aims to investigate the knowledge and opinions of mathematics teachers about the subject of probability. This research was designed as a case study, which is one of the qualitative research designs. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 28 mathematics teachers, 18 of whom were females and 10 of whom were males, working in state schools in a southern city of Turkey. In addition, interviews were also conducted with a total of 8 mathematics teachers, 6 females and 2 males, among the teachers who participated in the study in order to investigate their general opinions about the subject of probability. In order to collect data, the probability problems test was used to determine the knowledge of mathematics teachers about probability problems, and a semi-structured interview form was used to investigate their general opinions on probability. The results of the research showed that the teachers’ rate of determining the type of probability problems correctly was 80.6 %. It was also seen that the 37.75% of the mathematics teachers used formulas, 29.6% of them used procedural methods and 31.60% of them used graphical methods in the calculations to solve probability problems. Article visualizations: