The Effectiveness of a Proposed Teaching Strategy Based on a Realistic Mathematics Education Approach in Developing Logical Thinking Skills and Productive Disposition Among Primary School Students

Abstract

The study aimed to build a teaching strategy based on the realistic mathematics education (RME) approach, and to measure its effectiveness in developing logical thinking skills and productive disposition among sixth graders. The study followed the experimental approach with a quasi-experimental design. The study used two tools, the "Logical Thinking Skills Test" and the Components of Productive Disposition Scale. In addition, a guide for the teacher, according to the proposed teaching strategy based on the realistic mathematics education approach, was prepared, which was applied in teaching the unit "Operations on Decimals" for a multistage cluster random sample of (64) students of the sixth grade of primary school, (31) students were an experimental group, and (33) students were a control group. The study reached to building a teaching strategy based on the realistic mathematics education approach and defining its steps and the requirements for its implementation. The results of the study showed the effectiveness of the proposed teaching strategy in developing logical thinking skills for sixth-grade students and that it was found to have a large impact size on that, the results of the study also showed the effectiveness of the proposed teaching strategy in developing productive disposition among sixth-grade students and that it was found to have a large impact size on that. Based on these results, the study recommended the importance of using the realistic mathematics approach and its teaching strategies in mathematics education, including the proposed teaching strategy, and training mathematics teachers to apply these strategies in teaching design and implementation, as well as including these strategies in mathematics teacher preparation programs. The study also concludes with a number of proposals for further research related to the subject of the study.