Grade 11 students’ interconnected use of conceptual knowledge, procedural skills, and strategic competence in algebra: a mixed method study of error analysis
Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue 3
Abstract
The purpose of this mixed?method study was to investigate grade 11 university/college stream mathematics students’ difficulties in applying conceptual knowledge, procedural skills, strategic competence, and algebraic thinking in solving routine (instructional) algebraic problems. A standardized algebra test was administered to thirty randomly selected grade 11 students in an urban school in Ontario, Canada. Ten students were later interviewed. In this paper, we discuss the solutions and interviews of five students. The results showed that the majority of university/college stream mathematics students were in the transition stage from arithmetic to algebra. Another prominent feature of these students’ problem solving process was their overuse of procedures without being able to critically evaluate whether these procedures would work or not. They also demonstrated lack of relational, application, and structural abilities when solving instructional problems. We emphasize that, in order to be successful, all components of problem solving (procedural work, local focus, strategic skills, and algebraic reasoning) should work together in a coherent manner, as the main learning challenge in problem solving remains keeping cohesion between its multiple interconnected components. Therefore, it is necessary that to show them the arithmetic?algebraic connection in problem solving and to facilitate them to systematically check their answers in the context of a general strategy.
Authors and Affiliations
Gunawardena Egodawatte| University of Toronto, Dorian Stoilescu| University of Western Sydney, For correspondence: D.Stoilescu@uws.edu.au
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP8071
- DOI -
- Views 411
- Downloads 24
The relationship between pre-service science teachers’ epistemological beliefs and preferences for creating a constructivist learning environment
The present study investigated the relationship between pre-service science teachers’ epistemological beliefs and perceptions of a constructivist learning environment. The Turkish version of Constructivist Learning Envir...
Investigation of the relationship between pre-service science teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in science teaching and disposition toward reflective thinking
The study aims to examine the relationship between perceived self?efficacy in science teaching and disposition towards reflective thinking in pre?service science teachers based on different variables. For this purpose, t...
Modeling the stress complexities of teaching and learning of school physics in Nigeria
This study was designed to investigate the validity of the stress complexity model (SCM) to teaching and learning of school physics in Abuja municipal area council of Abuja, North. About two hundred students were randoml...
An investigation into students’ difficulties in numerical problem solving questions in high school biology using a numeracy framework
The ‘mathematics problem’ is a well-known source of difficulty for students attempting numerical problem solving questions in the context of science education. This paper illuminates this problem from a biology education...
Pre-service physics teachers’ content knowledge of electric and magnetic field concepts: Conceptual facets and their balance
The concepts of electricity and magnetism in physics are complex and demanding to learn because their meaning builds through several different phenomenological areas. Each of these phenomenological areas adds a certain f...