Population movements and migrations, which are increasingly prevalent worldwide, have led to classrooms becoming multicultural environments, with children from diverse languages, religions, ethnicities, and social classes (Chou et al., 2018; OECD, 2011). This societal transformation also impacts schools and places new expectations and responsibilities on teachers. Consequently, one of the crucial qualities expected of teachers in today's world is their ability to create a culturally responsive teaching (CRT) environment (Aguirre et al., 2013). However, there is a growing gap between the lack of preparation and training of current teachers in CRT and the increasing need for qualified teachers in this area (Acquah et al., 2016; Hollie, 2018). This highlights the necessity for teachers who possess effective teaching strategies to meet the diverse needs of students while demonstrating cultural and linguistic awareness (Grossman et al., 2005; Sowder, 2007; Zembylas, 2010). It is crucial for teacher training programs to systematically prepare pre-service teachers about CRT and provide them with ample experiences in this area (Hollie, 2018). Creating opportunities for teachers to gain a better understanding of their students' life experiences allows them to leverage this knowledge and incorporate it into their instructional designs (Hedges, 2015). One effective tool for achieving this is the use of community walks. Community walks, as defined by Turner et al. (2015), involve one or more visits to the community surrounding the school to gather information about the local environment, identify problems, and to investigate community-related issues. Being immersed in such environments allows pre-service teachers to gather information about the community-based activities of their students (Turner et al., 2015). It also enables them to acquire knowledge about the activities and practices that may be relevant to teaching mathematics within these environments, thereby enhancing their understanding of the communities they engage with (Goodwin, 2011). Moreover, community walks provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to expand their perspective and comprehension of their students' abilities by gaining insights into how mathematics is perceived and utilized by students at home and beyond the school setting (Turner et al., 2015). Additionally, participating in community walks helps pre-service teachers rectify any misconceptions they may hold about the community (Gay, 2002). During the process of developing a lesson plan based on insights gained from the community walk, pre-service teachers prioritize incorporating their students' perspectives and establishing connections with their experiences outside of school (Gay, 2010). From this standpoint, exploring the use of community walks as a tool to enhance pre-service teachers' understanding of the cultural elements that influence students' learning in mathematics lessons is believed to make a valuable contribution to the existing literature.

In this context, the primary objective of the current study is to examine the impact of community walks on the process of pre-service mathematics teachers' designing and implementing culturally responsive mathematics lessons. Additionally, the study aims to determine how the experiences gained from community walks influence the perspectives of pre-service teachers towards creating a culturally responsive environment in mathematics education.

To address these objectives, the following research question will be explored:

How did pre-service teachers benefit from their community walk experiences in the process of designing and implementing culturally responsive mathematics lessons?

The study group for this research consists of 16 pre-service mathematics teachers who were enrolled in the Mathematics and Culture course at a state university in Turkey during the 2021-2022 academic year. These participants volunteered to take part in the study. The convenience sampling method, a non-random sampling technique, was employed for participant selection (Merriam, 2015). The research design utilized in this study is qualitative, aligning with the objectives of the research. The multiple case study approach, as described by (Yin 1994; Creswell & Poth, 2016), served as the framework for the study. To collect data in accordance with the research design, various data collection tools were employed. These included the community walk reports prepared by the pre-service teachers, the reflections they wrote about the process, and tasks they have prepared in relation to the community walk reports and reflections. The "Community Exploration Module," developed by Turner et al. (2015), was utilized as an assessment tool to evaluate the CRT design of the pre-service teachers. The data collection process was conducted in three stages. Initially, the pre-service teachers observed an elementary school in Turkey for a period of four weeks. During one week of this observation period, they organized a community walk in groups (comprising five different groups) around the school and conducted interviews with individuals they encountered after school hours. Following the completion of the community walk, each group prepared a report documenting their observations. Subsequently, the pre-service teachers engaged in reflective writing, capturing their experiences during the community walk. Finally, they designed their mathematical tasks they will implement in the classroom in relation to their community knowledge they gained via their community walk. The collected data was then analyzed using content analysis methods.

The anticipated outcomes of this study are twofold. Firstly, the findings are expected to provide valuable insights into the extent to which pre-service teachers consider their students' mathematical thinking styles and incorporate diverse sources of information when designing and implementing culturally responsive lesson plans. This will shed light on the level of attention given to these dimensions in their teaching practices. Secondly, the study aims to uncover how teacher candidates utilize the cultural understanding gained through the community walk experience to enhance their students' learning outcomes. By examining the impact of the community walk on their instructional approaches, the study will reveal the ways in which pre-service teachers effectively leverage cultural insights to improve the educational experiences of their students. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the findings will contribute to the development of a comprehensive understanding of the topics and situations that pre-service teachers find beneficial or challenging in implementing culturally responsive tasks across different levels and sub-learning areas of mathematics. This will provide valuable insights for teacher education programs and curriculum development, enabling them to address the specific needs and difficulties encountered by pre-service teachers in implementing culturally responsive approaches. In summary, this study aims to generate valuable insights into the considerations made by pre-service teachers when designing and implementing culturally responsive tasks, their utilization of cultural understanding obtained through community walks, and the challenges they face in implementing these tasks across various levels and sub-learning areas of mathematics.

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