Thematic content analysis of studies on number sense in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the tendency of studies on number sense in Turkey with thematic content analysis. This study was conducted by using document analysis method. In this study, a total of 64 studies (16 master theses, 5 doctoral theses, 39 articles, and 4 conference papers) were analyzed by thematic content analysis on number sense, between 2000-2018 years in Turkey. The studies were examined in terms of publication type, year, sample size, sample group, research method, number sense classification, data collection tool and analysis type, research subject and purpose, number sense components which students performed high and low. Findings were presented descriptively using frequency and percentage of values. Results of the study indicated that studies focusing on the number sense increased since 2015 in Turkey; studies were mostly published as articles, and doctoral theses and conference papers were few; studies were mostly carried out with samples between 101-300 and 8th grade or 6-8th grade sample group; more quantitative research method and correlational survey model were used in the studies, and classification of number sense developed by Kayhan Altay (2010) was preferred. In addition, it was found that open-ended and multiple-choice tests were used together as a data collection tool, and studies mostly focused on determining the general number sense skill and examining number sense components.