The Status of Mathematics Education in Terms of Mathematical Modeling to Solve Real World Problems by Thai Teachers and the Science and Mathematics Program of Twelfth Grade Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the status of mathematics education in terms of mathematical modeling for problem solving in real-life situations among teachers and students of science and mathematics program in twelfth grade. The sample group included 92 twelfth grade science-mathematics program students selected by stratified random sampling. And 10 mathematics teachers were selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments include; (1) The questionnaire on beliefs about mathematical modeling, (2) The test of students' ability to engage in mathematical modeling. (3) The interview questionnaire on teaching and learning for teachers. The statistics used in the study include mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficient. The results of the study are: (1) students and teachers have high levels of beliefs regarding mathematical modeling, (2) the relationship of beliefs for each question among students was found that the highest positive the Pearson correlation value is 0.65, (3) the relationship of beliefs for each question among teachers was found that the highest positive the Pearson correlation value is 1.0, (4) Students lack experience in mathematical modeling of real-world problems, so they were unable to construct a mathematical model to solve a real-world problem. The results of this research will guide teachers and researchers in the design and development of teaching and learning activities that improve students' mathematical modeling skills.