Secondary School Mathematics Teachers’ Knowledge Levels and Use of History of Mathematics

Abstract

This study aimed to explore secondary school mathematics teachers’ use of history of mathematics in their classes and their knowledge levels in this field. The population of the study comprised 58 secondary school mathematics teachers working at Yozgat city center, and the sample included 32 mathematics teachers from 10 schools who volunteered to take place in the study. These mathematics teachers were administrated an 11-item short-answer history of mathematics knowledge level test along with a 5-item written opinion form to identify their history of mathematics use. The findings showed that most teachers did not use history of mathematics in their classes, yet those who used history of mathematics did so by mentioning the life stories of mathematicians and the contributions of ancient civilizations to mathematics to motivate students at the beginning of their classes. The mean score of teachers who participate in this study at the history of mathematics knowledge test was computed 3.5 indicating that their knowledge levels concerning the history of mathematics were low. Additionally, it was found that those who did not use history of mathematics in their classes scored lower in the history of mathematics knowledge test than those who used it in their classes.