Evaluation of 6th Grade Students’ Mathematical Communication Levels within the Framework of Realistic Mathematics Education Approach

The purpose of this study is to investigate the levels of mathematical communication demonstrated by sixth-grade students in the context of instructional activities grounded in the principles of Realistic Mathematics Education. There are several skills that mathematics education aims to develop in students. Mathematical communication skill is one of these skills. Among the aims of realistic mathematics education is to encourage students to actively participate in the learning process and to make sense of mathematical knowledge in real-life situations. In this study, the case study method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The study was carried out during the 2022–2023 academic year at a public middle school located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, involving 12 students who were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through realistic mathematics education problems, interviews, audio recordings, and observations and were subjected to descriptive analysis and content analysis in line with the problems of the study. In individual applications, students’ mathematical communication levels were found to be below zero, inadequate, and partially adequate, while in group work, mathematical communication levels were found to be partially adequate, adequate, and constructive. As a result of the study, it was seen that students’ mathematical communication levels were at lower levels in realistic mathematics education problems in which they worked individually, while students’ mathematical communication levels were at higher levels in group work. In individual tasks, students’ levels of mathematical communication were observed to range from below zero to partially adequate, whereas in collaborative group activities, their communication levels ranged from partially adequate to constructive. The findings indicate that students demonstrated lower levels of mathematical communication when engaging with Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) tasks individually, while their communication skills improved notably during group-based problem-solving processes. Based on these results, suggestions were made to increase mathematical communication levels.