Analysis of Year Four Pupils’ Difficulties in Solving Mathematical Problems Involving Fraction

Mohd Azarul Mohd Mokhtar,Siti Salina Mustakim,Rozita Radhiah Said,Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Ayub

doi:10.6007/ijarbss/v9-i11/6766

Abstract

Problem-solving is a very important element of Mathematics learning. Unfortunately, the results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows that most pupils are still weak in math problem solving skills. Furthermore, fraction is also a difficult topic for pupils to master. Therefore, this research aims to analyse the types of difficulties faced by Year Four pupils in solving mathematical problems in the fraction topic. The sample was divided into two groups, primary school pupils and math teachers. Data collection was conducted through structured interviews, document analysis and survey testing. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The results show that there are some difficulties in solving problems in fraction, which are: 1) Pupils have difficulty in understanding the keywords and fail to convert to the correct mathematical sentence, 2) Pupils are weak in mathematics comprehension, 3) Pupils are weak in basic concepts and 4) Pupils do not like to read long-term math questions. Therefore, the findings of this study will encourage teachers to come up with more effective teaching strategies to help pupils to answer mathematical questions better.

Highlights

The current education system in Malaysia is geared towards the Industrial Revolution 4.0
The analysis of the mistakes made in the pupils' calculations and answers is referred to the study (Prathana Phonapichat et al, 2014) which focuses on three important factors in solving mathematical problems, namely, reading comprehension, computational and mathematics skills
The results of the analysis of difficulties in solving problems as described in Table 1 derived from the interviews with the mathematics teachers indicate that, 1) Pupils do not understand the requirements of the questions that lead to the difficulties in mathematics problem solving, 2) Misconception in fraction 3) Pupils do not like to read mathematical questions in the form of sentences, 4) Pupils have difficulty in understanding the keywords that appear in the problem, and cannot interpret them as symbols and 5) Pupils lack of computational and mathematical skills

Summary

Introduction

The current education system in Malaysia is geared towards the Industrial Revolution 4.0. From elementary school to university level, the explosion of the revolution has grown over time. The age of teachercentred teaching and learning is no longer relevant in today's education. In Mathematics education, teachers need to be more proactive in attracting pupils in learning Mathematics subjects. The approach to the teaching methods used should meet the needs of the pupils, and at the same time provide them with an understanding of each topic learned. This is because pupils need to master the basic skills in Mathematics education to ensure that they do not miss out on enrolling at the highest level in university.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion