Investigation of Grade 9 Students’ Errors in Solving Quadratic Equations in One Variable

Abstract

This paper aimed to identify the errors of grade 9 students of one public high school in San Remigio, Cebu, Philippines in solving quadratic equations in one variable by extracting the square root, factorization, completing the square, and using quadratic formula. A written test was used as the main instrument of the study to assess the levels at which students encountered errors during the problem-solving process. The students’ responses were analyzed using the Newman Error Analysis model which includes reading, comprehension, transformation, process skills, and encoding error. To verify the test results, semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected students. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed. Triangulation of results was conducted by comparing the written test results with the interview results. The data was analyzed using descriptive method and content analysis. The results showed that students mostly made errors in the process skills followed by transformation, comprehension, then in encoding. Meanwhile, there were no reading errors found. It further determined which of the respondents in terms of sex performed better in solving quadratic equations based on their test scores. Using an independent t-test, it was found out that there was no significant difference on the test scores between male and female students, hence, both groups exhibited equal performance in solving quadratic equations. Based on the findings, it is recommended to all teachers to focus not only on the students' test scores but primarily on the errors made by students during assessments. Recognizing these errors at an early stage enables educators to devise proactive strategies to address and rectify these issues before they potentially worsen and impact students' overall performance.