Using an Ethnomathematical Approach in Teaching Transformational Geometry: The Kilim Activity

The aim of this study is to examine students' perceptions about ethnomathematics-supported instruction of the topics of reflection, translation, rotation and axis of symmetry, which are part of the sub-domain of transformational geometry in geometry education. This study was conducted with fourteen 8th-grade students enrolled in a public school in Tekirdağ, Turkey during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. The participants' perceptions were examined throughout a three-week course (two class hours per week) that integrated ethnomathematics with transformational geometry. Data collection tools included lesson video recordings of the lessons, teacher reflection journals, student reflective thinking forms, and student worksheets. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. According to the research findings, the integration of an ethnomathematics approach increased students' interest and motivation toward geometry content. Students' perceptions showed that they were able to relate geometric concepts to everyday life. The ethnomathematics approach also assisted students in questioning concepts related to transformational geometry and drawing conceptual inferences.