Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge in Analysing Errors in Mathematical Word Problems of Ghanaian Primary School Pupils

Abstract

The survey investigated teacher knowledge in analysing pupils’ wrong answer solutions in mathematical problem-solving. A sample of 205 pupils and teachers from 35 Islamic primary schools in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana were surveyed. The teachers were sampled through quota sampling, while the pupils were selected via stratified random sampling. A questionnaire and achievement test were used for the survey. Frequency count, percentage, and chi-square test were used as statistical tools for data analysis. The study found that the majority (71.4%) of the primary school teachers in the Greater Accra Region had difficulty preparing a good marking scheme. Also, more than 60% of the teachers were unable to identify and analyse the errors of pupils as well as communicate feedback on the errors. The study found no statistically significant association between knowledge of error analysis and analysing wrong answer solutions (p>0.05). This study concluded that most primary school teachers in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana do not have enough knowledge in analysing mathematical wrong answer solutions of pupils by using Newman’s model synthesis. It is recommended that mathematics teachers in Ghanaian basic schools should use Newman’s model as a standard method of analysing pupils’ work. For this reason, Ghana Education Service, Ghanaian universities, and colleges of education should include Newman’s model during the training of mathematics teachers.