INVESTIGATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' VIEWS ON ETHNOMATHEMATICS-BASED MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION

The study aims to examine primary school teachers' awareness, views, classroom practices, and challenges regarding ethnomathematics-based mathematics instruction. The research was carried out with 15 primary school teachers working in the Aegean Region using maximum variation sampling and was designed as a case study, one of the qualitative research methods. Qualitative content analysis was performed on the data collected through the semi-structured interview form. The research data showed that most participants had never heard of the term “ethnomathematics.” Most of them, however, used carpet/rug patterns, local dishes, historical sites, etc. as cultural codes in mathematics lessons. Most of the teachers involved in the research stated that the implementation of ethnomathematics-based practices could enhance children’s interest in and motivation for the lesson. Moreover, based on the interviews about the textbooks used by the teachers, the teachers stated that the existing textbooks were not sufficient to reflect local culture. In addition, according to the teachers, systemic factors such as curriculum density, time constraints, and a lack of materials were the main impediments to implementation. The study found that although the teachers lacked theoretical knowledge of ethnomathematics, they incorporated cultural elements through their pedagogical intuition. In this context, the study suggests that practical workshops should be organized for teachers and that digital and printed materials specific to local culture should be provided.