For many years researchers have been paying attention to the relationship between conceptual understanding and learning (Berthold & Renkl, 2009; Berthold, Evsink & Renkl, 2009; Dunlap, Furtak, & Tucker, 2009). Through the curriculum reform that started in 2004 in Turkey, elementary mathematics curricula has focused on the importance of conceptual understanding and meaningful learning (MNE, 2008) as in many other education systems around the Europe and world. The new elementary mathematics curriculum points out the importance of the development of students’ mathematics skills that are related to exploring mathematical ideas, solving problems, making connections among mathematical ideas, and applying them in daily life situations. The results of studies show that those skills can be achieved when conceptual understanding occurs (Gonzales, Ambrose, and Martinez, 2004; Dunlap, Furtak, & Tucker, 2009; Berthold & Renkl, 2009). McDuffie and Eve (2009) states that multiple representations play important role for providing the conceptual understanding. Moreover, different representations of same concept not only help students’ learning, but also provide conceptual understanding (Behr, Lesh, Post, & Silver, 1983) and can help students to construct their knowledge and make connections between concepts (Berthold, Evsink & Renkl, 2009). According to Lesh, Post, and Behr (1987) graphs is one of the five most commonly used representation forms of mathematical ideas.  Furthermore, being in a process information age, people are becoming dependent on a read ability to read, interpret and comprehend graphs and  graphical representations are tools for analyzing and understanding scientific knowledge and scientific communication (Curcio, 1987).

The present study investigates understandings of middle grade students on the graphical representations.  The focus of the study is mainly on the students’ reading and interpreting skills of graphs

Significance:

The study aims to explore whether the students can achieve the basic abilities offered by the goals in the graphs/ charts units of the middle school mathematics curriculum in Turkey. In that manner; it is expected to explore the obstacles that students come to face with and the misunderstood concepts through the graphs and charts unit. In other extent, it is aimed to figure out whether the curriculum reaches its aims which are suggested in the graphs units. To sum up; the study helps to identify the problems occurred in the graphs unit of the mathematics curriculum. In addition, it draws a general frame for the general treatment of the curriculum in Turkey. Therefore, the results of the study should represent sufficient key ideas for the mathematics curriculum of Turkish Education System. On the other hand, since it addresses the fulfillment of the basic skills through mathematics, the study contributes sufficient reference for the further studies planned to construct in the countries other than Turkey.  

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