Philippine E-Journals

Analysis of Students’ Misconceptions and Errors in Relation to Their Perceived Anxiety in Algebra: Basis for the Development of Remedial Instructional Materials

Janelle Jane Villa | Angelo Villanueva

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Mathematics is a process that follows a sequence of steps. So, one can only move on to the next step in mathematics with acculturation to its prerequisites. As facilitators of learning, the teachers need to determine where students' problems in Math, specifically in Algebra, occur to determine how to solve them and help students move on to the next step. Thus, this study concerns students' misconceptions and errors concerning their anxiety in Algebra, which was the basis for developing remedial instructional materials. The respondents are grade 8 students (N= 201) in the Perez District, selected through purposive sampling.Based on the initial findings, more than half of the students have Misconceptions about Conceptual Knowledge in Learning Algebra, especially regarding cancellation followed by the correct usage of properties. Students committed Errors in the Application of Concepts on Computational Skills in Learning Algebra in more than half of the items. In addition, most students committed errors in terms of the correct usage of signs followed by the ruling. The results suggest that students' misconceptions and committed errors have a significantly moderate positive correlation. It implies that students with high misconceptions in Mathematics also committed the most errors in Algebra and vice versa. Furthermore, students' misconception significantly impacts their anxiety when learning Algebra.