Abstract:

The aim of this study is to identify the problems teachers report in secondary school mathematics teaching and to determine whether these issues are related to demographic factors. The methodology adopted in the study was a single survey research design. The sample, which was selected using a convenience sampling method, consisted of 547 mathematics teachers working at middle school level in Türkiye. The “Scale for Identifying Difficulties Encountered in Middle School Mathematics Teaching” (Duran & Berk, 2021) was used as the data collection tool. The scale consists of five dimensions and a total of 44 items in varying numbers in each dimension. A descriptive statistical analysis of the frequency of items was carried. According to the results, most of the difficulties encountered in middle school mathematics teaching are related to the teacher dimension of the scale although they are encountered less frequently than other categories. The most prevalent and significant category of difficulties is those that are related to students. The significance and likelihood of running into some of the identified issues are dependent on the participants' demographic makeup. Problems are more prevalent and are perceived as being more important by female teachers. In addition, experienced teachers face fewer problems and do not consider the problems very important. Similar to this, teachers who have a degree from a faculty of education are more sensitive to issues than those who have a degree from other faculties. Problem categories encountered in secondary school mathematics teaching and solution proposals should be examined interactively and holistically, not separately and independently.

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