The effect of mathematical modeling activities on seventh grade students’ mathematical literacy and affective outcomes

This study examines the effect of mathematical modeling activities on seventh-grade students’ mathematical literacy levels and some affective outcomes. A quasi-experimental framework was created; in this framework, students were assigned to experimental and control groups, and their pre-test and post-test results were compared. The sample consisted of 52 seventh grade students attending a public middle school. MANCOVA was used to analyze the data, followed by ANCOVA as follow up analyses. The results revealed that mathematical modeling activities had a statistically significant effect on students’ mathematical literacy posttest scores. However, no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of mathematical literacy self efficacy, engagement, and attitudes toward mathematics. Student opinions indicated that the modeling interventions successfully promoted mathematical thinking and clarified the relevance of mathematics to real-life contexts and that mathematical modeling activities were perceived positively. Overall, the findings suggest that mathematical modeling activities constitute an effective instructional approach for improving students’ cognitive learning outcomes in mathematics.