Identifying students’ mathematical and mathematics educational values in Turkish culture: a cross-sectional study (Identificación de los valores matemáticos y de la didáctica matemática de los estudiantes en la cultura turca: un estudio transversal)

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study investigates mathematical and mathematics educational values of students across grade levels in Turkey. The sample of the study consisted of 970 students, including 511 fifth-grade and 459 ninth-grade students who received education in seven geographical regions of Turkey which were determined via a proportional stratified random sampling method. The data of the study were obtained with a bipolar scale developed within the scope of the What I Find Important [WIFI] (in maths learning) project. The results revealed a statistically significant difference in the value pairs of process–product, pleasure–hardship, application–computation, facts–ideas, exposition–exploration, recalling–creating, rationalism–objectism, whereas results revealed no statistically significant difference in terms of value pairs of ability–effort, openness–mystery and control–progress. Additionally, it was determined that at the end of middle school, the pleasure–hardship value pair evolved into hardship value, the application–computation value pair evolved into computation value and finally the exposition–exploration value pair evolved into exposition value.