Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Mathematics Education Research Journal, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
This study aims to investigate the stages of simplification and mathematisation in mathematical modelling processes of sixth- and seventh-grade students through Fermi problems designed from close to distant perspectives. The research is qualitatively designed and is in the form of a case study. The sample of the study consists of a total of 37 students, with 26 in the seventh grade and 11 in the sixth grade. Groups of three to five students were formed based on class size according to the students’ preferences, resulting in a total of nine different groups. This study was completed over 12 weeks/24 class hours through group work and solution presentations. Data were collected through worksheets and group presentation videos belonging to student groups. In the analysis of the data, the steps of the mathematical modelling cycle, specifically “Simplification” and “Mathematisation,” were considered. Variables, models, and strategies that emerged in these steps were analysed using content analysis. According to the results, it was determined that the context used in problems designed from close to distant perspectives influenced students’ strategies. In the simplification stage, sixth-grade students predominantly relied on external sources, whereas seventh-grade students showed a greater tendency to use digital tools and draw upon prior knowledge and experiences. In the mathematisation stage, as problem contexts moved further from students’ immediate surroundings, strategies such as concentration measurement, reduction/proportion usage, and reference points became more prominent, with seventh-grade students exhibiting a stronger reliance on these approaches.