Determining the Errors of Primary School 5th Grade Students in Non-Routine Problem Solving

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The aim of this study is to determine the errors of 5th grade students in non-routine problems. In this study, descriptive survey method was used and clinical interview method was used in order to determine the source of the errors of 5 th grade students in non-routine problems. The study group of descriptive survey model was composed of 467 primary school 5 th grade students in 13 classes in 7 different primary schools in the city of Kütahya chosen according to cluster sampling method, while the study group of clinical interview method was composed of 70 students chosen among those who had made the error themes determined. As a result of the research, it was determined that the students made mostly comprehension-related errors (45.50%); this comprehension based errors mostly resulted from miscomprehension (27.28%), followed by irrelevant operation (10.42%) and incomplete comprehension (7.39%). It was also determined that the errors stemmed from the following: performing the strategy (5.72%), reading (3.77%), performing the operation (2.62%) and choosing the right strategy (2.36%), respectively.Keywords: Mathematics, 5 th grade students, non-routine problem, mistake types, sources of the errors Extended AbstractPurpose and Significance: This study deals with mistakes in non-routine problems due to the facts that they require high level thinking skills, that more mistakes are seen both in student solutions and in teacher solutions and that the rate of utilization by teachers is low. During problem solving process, an individual is supposed to make sense of the problem during and after reading because without making sense of the problem, it is thought that individuals will come up with meaningless conclusions by using the numbers in the problem randomly. Problem solving skill is a complex process requiring use of information, and in this process students firstly need language skills. Because no studies have been encountered in Turkey about the relation between language skills and problem solving strategies, it is aimed in the study to determine the source of the mistakes of primary school students in non-routine problems. In this context, answers for the following questions are sought:1.How is the distribution of the mistakes of primary school 5th grade students in non-routine problems according to mistake types? * This paper is a part of corresponding author's unpublished doctoral dissertation. ** Corresponding Author: Assist. Prof. Dr., Dumlupınar University, Kütahya, Turkey, mustafa.ulu@dpu.edu.tr *** Assoc. Prof. Dr., Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey, tertemiz@gazi.edu.tr **** Prof.Dr., Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, peker@aku.edu.tr Ulu, M., Tertemiz, N., & Peker, M. (2016 What are the reasons for primary school 5th grade students to make mistakes in non-routine problems? Citation InformationMethods: In the research, descriptive survey and clinical interview methods were used together. Survey models are research approaches that aim to describe a former or an existing case as it is....