Mathematical Writing Errors in Expository Writings of College Mathematics Students

Abstract

<p>Despite the efforts to confirm the effectiveness of writing in learning mathematics, analysis on common errors in mathematical writings has not received sufficient attention. This study aimed to provide an account of the students’ procedural explanations in terms of their commonly committed errors in mathematical writing. Nine errors in mathematical writing were pre-defined -- namely, misuse of mathematical terms, misuse of mathematical symbols, incorrect notation, incorrect grammar, incorrect capitalization, no or incorrect punctuation, vague term, incorrect term, and lack of term or phrase. This study used qualitative method of research to keep a record of errors in mathematical writing. Conducted in the College of Education Arts and Sciences of De La Salle Lipa, the study involved twelve BS Mathematics students enrolled in Advanced Calculus 1 class as respondents. Results revealed that the most committed errors done in mathematical writing are incorrect grammar and misuse of mathematical symbols. Certainly, intervention programs on mathematics writing will bring favorable outcomes. Language courses in the students’ curriculum which tackle proper grammar usage may be integrated with writing about mathematics as part of the student activities. Such will provide the students with writing experiences fitted to their discipline.</p>

Inattentive Students Errors in Mathematics: Alarming Repetition

“…Addressing students' errors in mathematics is not a new topic in mathematics education. Mathematics education researchers have examined the type of errors that occur in students' responses (Guse, 2017;Naidoo & Naidoo, 2007;Porter & Masingila, 1995). They found that most of the time the reasons behind the errors or mistakes are a lack of comprehension of the concepts, misunderstanding of the mathematical procedures, or misinterpretation of the problem (Veloo, Krishnasamy, & Wan Abdullah, 2015).…”

“…They found that most of the time the reasons behind the errors or mistakes are a lack of comprehension of the concepts, misunderstanding of the mathematical procedures, or misinterpretation of the problem (Veloo, Krishnasamy, & Wan Abdullah, 2015). However, the error in students' responses could be "arbitrary" due to the "lack of loyalty to the given" (Naidoo & Naidoo, 2007, p. 197) or the inaccurate use of the mathematics language (Guse, 2017;Porter & Masingila, 1995). In many cases the inaccurate use of mathematical terms or symbols occurs because of a lack of attention (Guse, 2017), instead of a lack of understanding.…”

“…However, the error in students' responses could be "arbitrary" due to the "lack of loyalty to the given" (Naidoo & Naidoo, 2007, p. 197) or the inaccurate use of the mathematics language (Guse, 2017;Porter & Masingila, 1995). In many cases the inaccurate use of mathematical terms or symbols occurs because of a lack of attention (Guse, 2017), instead of a lack of understanding.…”

“…Previous studies looked at the influence of errors on students and teachers and their reactions to such errors. Moreover, few studies analysed the type of errors in mathematics classrooms (Guse, 2017). This study aims to investigate the most common inattentive errors occurred in students' responses.…”

An Exploratory Study of Engineering Students’ Misconceptions about Technical Communication

“…Other research studies, in composition studies and beyond, investigate the writing errors of specific populations of students, such as international college students [25] or basic writers [26]. Other researchers, instead, have explored discipline-specific writing mistakes, typically examining one particular writing assignment rather than employing a longitudinal study design [6,27]. This body of literature generally focuses on sentence-level grammar and usage issues, such as spelling mistakes, subject-verb agreement errors, or comma errors-or sometimes, matters of style, such as unclear pronoun referents and overuse of passive voice [28] Some other researchers in composition studies have analyzed students' writing for higher-order concerns, such as audience awareness, organization, and use of evidence [29].…”