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

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Ethnomathematics, primary school teachers, mathematics education, teacher views.

Ethics and Conflict of Interest

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Uşak University. The ethics approval was granted on 15.01.2026 under the protocol number 2026-13. All procedures involving human participants were conducted in accordance with institutional and national ethical standards, the Helsinki Declaration, and applicable regulations. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. The authors used Gemini solely for language refinement and grammar correction during the revision process. No AI tool was used to generate research ideas, theoretical content, data, analysis, or interpretations. All substantive intellectual contributions were made by the authors. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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About the Authors:

Burak Gürbüz

Burak Gürbüz received his Bachelor's degree in Primary Education from Dokuz Eylül University, Türkiye, in 2015. He earned his Master's degree in Classroom Teaching from Uşak University, Türkiye, in 2024. He is currently pursuing his Doctoral degree in Education at Uşak University, Türkiye. He also serves as a vice principal at Karaağaç Ahmet Karakaş Primary School, Türkiye. His research interests include Literacy Education, Technology-Integrated Teaching, and Writing Instruction.

Ergün YURTBAKAN

Ergün Yurtbakan received his Bachelor's degree from Kafkas University, Türkiye, in 2007. He earned his Master's degree from Karadeniz Technical University, Türkiye, in 2017. He completed his Doctoral degree at Trabzon University, Türkiye, in 2022. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor and Vice Dean in the Department of Primary Education at Uşak University, Türkiye. His research interests include Literacy Education, Mathematics Education, and Gifted Education.