Problem solving teaching practices in primary mathematics classes

It is possible to say that mathematics educators agree that improving students' problemsolving skills is a primary educational goal. The purpose of this research is to develop a scale for problem-solving teaching practices in the classroom teachers' mathematics class. Research data were obtained from 388 primary school teachers in 2018-2019 academic year. A Likert type scale was developed in order to determine the problem solving teaching practices of classroom teachers in various dimensions and the reliability and validity of the scale was examined. An exploratory factor analysis was applied to construct validity of the scale and 6 factors were obtained which about 58% of the total variance explained. The internal consistency of the scale was examined by Cronbach alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis confirms that the structure of the scale is composed of 26 items and 6 factors. Reliability coefficients were found as 0.90 witht alpha. The results of the research show that the realizing problem solving strategies scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to determine the level of problem solving teaching practices according to the self-reports of the class teachers. The levels of teachers' realization of problem solving strategies were compared according to various variables. Significant differences were determined in the realization of some problem solving strategies in problem solving teaching practices of teachers according to professional seniority and gender.