An Investigation of Primary School Teachers’ Experiences in Teaching Division

Primary school mathematics education places significant emphasis on the teaching of arithmetic operations. Among these, the instruction of division has a structure that requires careful and sensitive handling by classroom teachers. The aim of this study is to examine classroom teachers’ experiences regarding the teaching of division. The research was designed using a qualitative approach and employed a phenomenological research method. The study group consisted of 20 experienced classroom teachers working in the provinces of Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya. Criterion sampling and convenience sampling methods were used. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview form consisting of six questions developed by the researchers. Thematic analysis was employed in the data analysis process. The findings indicate that only a limited number of teachers used problem statements and real-life connections in the teaching of division. Although teachers considered the use of models necessary for teaching division, they experienced difficulties in establishing meaningful instructional connections through these models. Furthermore, analysis of teachers’ instructional processes and problem constructions related to remainders revealed a predominantly one-dimensional and non-relational structure.