Primary School Teachers and Students’ Opinions of the First-Grade Mathematics Curriculum in a Turkish Context

Abstract

This research was carried out to determine the opinions of teachers and students in-depth regarding the primary-school first-grade mathematics curriculum in a Turkish context. This study was designed in accordance with a mixed research method to achieve this goal and to examine the situation that emerged during the implementation of a curriculum. The data collection tools were the “Mathematics Curriculum Evaluation Scale,” semi-structured teacher and student interviews, and an observation form. The thoughts of teachers and students regarding the primary school mathematics curriculum were determined in-depth, and the situations that emerged during the implementation of the program were examined. The research population comprised first-grade teachers working in primary schools in central districts of Turkey. Descriptive statistics and content analyses were used for the data analysis. Based on the results, it was concluded that the general structure and objective of the mathematics curriculum were sufficient.

A review of literature on mathematics curricula in use at primary school level

“…Finally, he has set up Google Scholar Alerts to notify him of the latest studies, track searches in databases and display the most recently published articles on the research (e.g. Bal and Gezgin, 2022;, keeping researchers up-todate with the literature using the Scholar Alerts app. At the end of this meticulous screening, 94 studies remained.…”

“…Despite the optimistic views of teachers regarding the curriculum, its effective implementation is being hindered by insu cient institutional support and a lack of continuous professional development (CPD). It is therefore necessary to conduct further research to, rst, investigate the reasons behind this lack of support and CPD and second, explore the experiences of teachers with the curriculum (Bal and Gezgin, 2022), and the impact of the curriculum on students (Demir et al, 2019). The results of this research will be relevant to educators around the world, encouraging them to re ect on the importance of supportive environments and ongoing training to improve teaching practice and to consider possible approaches to addressing similar challenges in their education systems.…”

“…Revisions to the mathematics curriculum in 2004 and 2017 aimed to bring it in line with global trends and educational studies, particularly those observed in the US and the EU. This led to innovative changes in the content and structure of the curriculum, emphasising a student-centred approach within a constructivist framework (Guzel and Sahin, 2019;Bal and Gezgin, 2022).…”

“…Infrastructural issues , lack of resources Jerrim and Choi, 2013) and overcrowded classes (e.g. Bal and Gezgin, 2022) are the main barriers that hinder curriculum implementation and require policy review and change at the institutional level (Tikly et al, 2016;Whitehouse and Burdett, 2013). This literature review shows that positive changes in Turkey and similar countries are unlikely unless teachers receive adequate training at university or through in-service courses, have manageable class sizes, su cient time, adequate equipment and support in implementing the mathematics curriculum.…”

“…Reform of mathematics curricula began internationally in the 1980s, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) led reform movements in mathematics education worldwide (Bal and Gezgin, 2022;Van De Walle et al, 2010). In the UK, the National Curriculum introduced teacher-led approaches to developing students' mathematical skills and conceptual understanding (Chambers, 2008).…”