Developing geometric thinking through culturally contextualized mathematical modeling: a yurt-building lesson for middle-school students in Kazakhstan
Kazimova D. Sadykova S. Kostangeldinova A. Tazhigulova G. Shertser A.
2025Frontiers Media SA
Frontiers in Education
2025#10
This mixed-methods study examines the impact of a single culturally contextualized STEAM lesson, constructing a scale model of a Kazakh yurt, on sixth-grade students’ geometry confidence and cultural awareness. Forty-four students (aged 11–12) from a public school in East Kazakhstan participated in the hands-on activity during a 45-min mathematics period. Data sources included (i) a post-lesson perception survey (Likert, multiple-choice, open-ended), (ii) teacher field notes, and (iii) photographs of student artifacts. Reliability of the six-item Likert scale was acceptable (Cronbach’s α = 0.81). Descriptive statistics show that students’ self-rated confidence in measuring polygon sides (M = 3.48, SD = 1.17) and applying perimeter formulas (M = 3.61, SD = 1.26) fell in the moderate range, while appreciation for Kazakh cultural heritage was high (Yes = 52.3%; Partially = 29.5%). Thematic analysis of 176 open-ended responses, with 92% intercoder agreement, revealed three recurring themes: (1) recognizing geometry in everyday artifacts, (2) difficulties visualizing the transition from 2D plans to a 3D dome, and (3) heightened respect for nomadic engineering ingenuity. Although the study relies on post-lesson self-report rather than pre- and post-objective testing, the triangulated evidence suggests that a single culturally grounded project can foster meaningful, if preliminary, gains in geometric thinking and cultural connectedness. Limitations include the brief intervention window and single-site design; future work should incorporate objective assessments and multi-lesson sequences to substantiate learning outcomes. Copyright
culturally responsive pedagogy , middle school geometry , perimeter , spatial reasoning , STEAM education , yurt construction
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Department of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, Karaganda University of the Name of Academician E.A. Buketov, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science, Shokan Ualikhanov Kokshetau State University, Kokshetau, Kazakhstan
Department of Transport and Logistics Systems, Karaganda University of the Name of Academician E.A. Buketov, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
Department of Applied Mathematics and Informatics
Department of Mathematics
Department of Transport and Logistics Systems
Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics
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