Teaching the Skills of Solving Shopping Problems and Generalizing to Daily Life to Students with Learning Disabilities

Introduction: Mathematics skills are frequently needed in daily life. The importance of mathematics in daily life necessitates the acquisition of basic mathematical skills by all individuals, including those with special needs. In particular, teaching the concept of money and how to spend money is very important for students with special needs to survive without being dependent on others. In this study, the effectiveness of education given by using direct instruction on the ability of students with learning difficulties in general education schools to acquire the ability to solve mathematical problems consisting of transactions used in shopping and to use this skill while shopping in daily life was examined. Method: This research was designed according to the multiple probe design with probe conditions across participants. Participants of the research consist of three male students between the ages of 10-12 who continue their education through inclusion in public schools in Eskisehir and receive support from a special education and rehabilitation center. Findings: In the study, the participants were taught the ability to solve mathematical problems consisting of operations used while shopping with direct instruction method, and the level of using the skills learned by the participants while shopping in a market was evaluated. According to the findings obtained as a result of the research, the participant students gained the ability to solve problems involving the processes used in shopping and were able to generalize this skill to their daily lives by using them in grocery shopping. Discussion: The findings of the study are consistent with the results of the studies in the literature that examine the teaching of mathematics skills to students with special needs. The obtained results were compared with similar studies and discussed.