• Optimizing Primary Mathematics Teaching Through Problem Solving: Experimental Evidence from Azerbaijani Primary Schools

    Author and Affiliation  

    Samire Nurmehemmedi
    PhD in Pedagogy, Senior Lecturer
    Department of Primary Education Pedagogy
    Ganja State University
    Ganja, Azerbaijan
    E-mail: nurmehemmedisamire@gmail.com
    ORCID: 0009-0008-7135-6713

    Keywords

    Mathematical Problem Solving Primary Mathematics Education Cognitive Development Pedagogical Experiment Instructional Optimization

    Abstract

    Despite the growing international recognition of problem-solving as a fundamental component of effective mathematics education, a considerable discrepancy continues to exist between curriculum objectives and classroom practice in many educational systems undergoing reform, including Azerbaijan. This study investigates the effectiveness of a problem-solving-based instructional approach in enhancing primary mathematics teaching and fostering students’ cognitive development. A three-phase pedagogical experiment was conducted in five Azerbaijani primary schools involving an initial sample of 846 students and 38 teachers. Following the application of inclusion criteria and the removal of incomplete responses, the final analytical sample comprised 260 students, including 129 participants in the experimental group and 131 in the control group. The experimental group received instruction grounded in systematic problem-solving strategies emphasizing hypothesis generation, multiple solution pathways, logical reasoning, reflective justification, and knowledge transfer, whereas the control group followed conventional teacher-centered instructional methods. Data were collected through repeated achievement assessments, classroom observations, teacher and student questionnaires, and statistical procedures including independent-samples t-tests, repeated-measures ANOVA, chi-square analysis, and effect size estimation. The findings revealed a statistically significant advantage for the experimental group, which achieved substantially higher post-test performance than the control group (88.78% vs. 65.90%, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.80). Significant improvements were observed across all seven measured competency dimensions, including conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, mathematical reasoning, and knowledge transfer. Furthermore, students exposed to the problem-solving intervention demonstrated higher rates of independent task completion (78.4% compared with 52.3%) and greater willingness to engage with non-routine mathematical tasks (71.2% compared with 34.6%). The results provide strong empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of problem-solving-oriented pedagogy in primary mathematics education and contribute to the growing international literature advocating learner-centered and inquiry-based instructional practices. The study offers practical implications for curriculum reform and mathematics teacher development within post-Soviet educational contexts and other emerging educational systems pursuing competence-based learning reforms.


    How to Cite

    Nurmehemmedi, S. T. (2026). Optimizing Primary Mathematics Teaching Through Problem Solving: Experimental Evidence from Azerbaijani Primary Schools. Science, Education and Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems, 9(8), 1–14.

    Publication History

    Received December 02, 2025
    Accepted May 13, 2026
    Published Online June 06, 2026

    Open Access and Licensing

    © 2026 The Author.

    Published by Science, Education and Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems (SEI) under the auspices of IMCRA – International Meetings and Conferences Research Association (Azerbaijan).

    This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

    CC BY 4.0 License

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