Abstract:
Its importance in mathematics, especially in the teaching of limits in calculus courses and its potential to cause difficulties for students from middle school to higher education, turn the absolute value concept into a very important in mathematics education. The perspectives of teachers on a mathematical concept lead their classroom practices. Therefore, defining those on a mathematical concept can provide important clues in understanding the nature of teaching and learning of this concept. The aim of this study was to investigate the teaching of the absolute value concept through middle school teachers' perspectives. As a data collection tool, a semi-structured interview was conducted. The research group consisted of 15 middle school mathematics teachers working in a city located in the north of Turkey. The participants' responses were qualitatively analyzed to characterize patterns and categorize answers. The results of the study indicated that the teachers use wrong statements and examples that may cause some misconceptions while defining the absolute value concept. Although these do not cause much trouble in the arithmetic domain, it is thought that they will cause important problems with the transition to the algebraic domain in the following years.
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