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This research investigates students' mathematical language difficulties in solving word problems in elementary school. This research method uses a descriptive with a qualitative approach. The research subjects were 52 fifth-grade elementary school students using a purposive sampling technique with students of different abilities, namely upper, middle and lower abilities. Data collection techniques included triangulation data sources through tests, interviews, and questionnaires, as well as data analysis techniques, namely data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. Research findings show that students with upper and middle ability problem solving are in the "low" category, and students with lower ability are in the "very low" category. Students' difficulties in mathematical language are most dominant in sentence indicators. The dominant error is that students do not write down what they know and ask. The influencing factors are internal factors: students are not used to reading long questions, so word problems are more difficult than telling stories directly; not careful; difficulty connecting to concepts (creating models); and students focus on mathematical symbols, not the language of the problem. External factors: Students are rarely introduced to word problems; the teacher does not use a special approach to word problems material learning; the language in the word problems is not yet communicative and authentic (based on real events, there are actors, settings and themes that are liked); and the environment is less supportive. This research concludes that mathematics word problems have a language structure from informal to formal (symbols) arranged in words, phrases, sentences and discourse. Word problems must be designed with communicative and more authentic language, more continuous learning of word problems is provided in each learning topic, and the learning environment at school and home must be mutually supportive.

Histology is considered one of the most important but challenging topics in health sciences. Deficiencies in teaching and general histology directly affect the student's understanding, performance and promote dynamism and integration while covering the primary curriculum. The goal of the current study was to assess and provide a better experience of difficulties in learning histology, examine some standard teaching strategies, and determine how to implement suitable changes to improve the curriculum from students' perspectives. The study comprised of a self-administered questionnaire that included descriptive questions. Data was collected based on the survey conducted via 100 students studying histology. Data was analyzed further qualitatively and quantitatively to elaborate on the difficulties in this area. Many of them strongly agreed that the lack of essential comprehension regarding using light and electron microscopes resulted in challenges with comprehending and identifying tissue samples for image identification due to inadequate anatomical knowledge. Moreover, according to students, some difficulties understood the topic, perception of new terminologies, and insufficient teaching strategies to grasp students' interests. They also agreed that improvement was needed in terms of the modes of teaching employed by histology teachers; they felt that modern education techniques based on practical tasks should be incorporated to stimulate student interest and make understanding histological concepts easier. The Institution should modify the teaching system to allocate more time to relevant subjects to make this subject matter more interesting. This survey-based study evaluated that students faced some challenges while studying the current curriculum of histology. From the student's perspective, it is identified that some changes are needed to improve the course curriculum and way of teaching to make it more understandable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) are high-order thinking skills that should be owned and improved by Indonesian students to catch up with other countries, especially in the field of mathematics. This study aims to identify and describe students' difficulties in solving HOTS questions through the two-tier test method at MAN 3 Aceh Tengah. This research is a qualitative-research with document data sources on test answers, questionnaires, and interviews. The research subjects in this study were 3 subjects from class XII at MAN 3 Central Aceh. Analysis of the validity of the data used triangulation techniques, namely identifying and describing the difficulties faced by students when solving HOTS questions by analyzing the results of test answers, questionnaires and interviews. The results of the research show specifically and descriptively that students when solving analyzing indicator questions feel anxious, lack self-confidence and are unable to process information into the form of solving mathematics. In the evaluating indicator, students are not sure they can solve the questions given. So that students fail to understand the concept of solving the problems presented. Meanwhile, in the creating indicator, students still have difficulty developing their own ideas. In the indicator of creating, students are only monotonous in what the teacher teaches, without developing their creativity to solve the given problem.

The objective of this research is to examine the challenges encountered by students when tackling algebraic operation problems, focusing on their problem-solving abilities. The study aims to comprehend the factors contributing to students' struggles in dealing with algebraic problems. It employs a descriptive method with a qualitative approach, involving 35 seventh-grade students from class VII-G at SMP N 8 Tambun Selatan. Data collection encompasses observation, tests, questionnaires, and documentation, with analysis using the Miles and Huberman model. The validity of the data is ensured through method triangulation. The findings reveal that, among the 35 students studied, 1) 61% faced difficulties in comprehending the problems, 2) 57% encountered challenges in planning solutions, 3) 73% experienced obstacles in executing the plans, and 4) 86% struggled with reviewing their work. The primary factors influencing these challenges include students' grasp of fundamental algebraic concepts, difficulties in applying mathematical concepts to algebraic contexts, and underdeveloped problem-solving skills. Difficulties often arise when students attempt to understand mathematical problems and formulate the necessary steps to solve them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the diagnostic and prognostic framings of Swedish mathematics teachers regarding the difficulties experienced by students in mathematics learning. Collegial discussions among 65 mathematics teachers in nine collegial groups were videotaped during a professional development (PD) program entitled Boost for Mathematics for analysis. The results show that the diagnostic framings of the teachers were mainly attributed to the cognitive abilities of students, whereas the prognostic framings were mainly related to lesson organization such that students should collaborate. While the teachers emphasize collaborate group work, they put little emphasis on how they could act in these learning situations. These results contribute to the understanding of Swedish mathematics teachers' framing of students' difficulties in mathematics learning and to the role of collegial discussions in PD initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocabulary plays a crucial role in language proficiency as it serves as the foundation for effective language acquisition. The ability to acquire vocabulary is considered a prerequisite for learning a language. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to investigate the difficulties encountered by students in their vocabulary learning process as well as the strategies they employ to overcome these obstacles in the context of English vocabulary acquisition. The participants in this study consisted of nine students at various proficiency levels in a lower secondary school, along with one English teacher. Employing a descriptive qualitative method, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data for this research. The interview questions focused on investigating the difficulties students faced in learning English vocabulary and the strategies they utilized to address these challenges. To facilitate data analysis, each interview was meticulously recorded and transcribed. The data analysis technique employed in this research entailed descriptive analysis. The findings of this study revealed that a significant number of students encountered difficulties in acquiring vocabulary. Specifically, these challenges manifested in areas such as the correct pronunciation of new words, accurate spelling, proper usage of word meanings, and effective retention or memorization of vocabulary. In order to mitigate these difficulties, students employed various strategies, including utilizing media resources such as smartphones, the internet, and games as well as employing note-taking techniques and consulting dictionaries to aid their vocabulary learning process.

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The purpose of this study was to analyze the difficulties of junior high school students in solving flat sided space problems. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The instruments in this study were mathematical problem solving questions on flat sided geometric material, and interview guidelines. The subjects of this study were 9 students of grade VIII junior high school. Sampling in this study used purposive sampling, namely by taking samples based on certain criteria. The results showed that students with low abilities had difficulty understanding questions, making plans for solving them and having difficulties implementing strategies or procedures to solve these problems. Students with moderate and high abilities have been able to carry out the problem solving process well. The results of this study provide recommendations that can be made to overcome students' difficulties in solving word problems including, training problem solving questions, developing teaching materials based on problem solving, providing scaffolding especially for students with low abilities, implementing various models and approaches based on problem solving abilities and using media learning

The purpose of this study was to describe students' difficulties in solving HOTS-based math problems for Class X SMA Negeri 1 Majene. The approach used in this research is mixed methods. The research subjects used the purposive sampling technique, namely 5 students out of 30 students in class X MIPA 2 SMA Negeri 1 Majene. The research data was collected through HOTS-based math test questions and interviews. The research data were analyzed using quantitative analysis and qualitative data analysis. This study showed that the average score of the HOTS-based math test questions for class X MIPA 2 SMA Negeri 1 Majene was 28.1333. In addition, this study also showed that the subject categories were very low, low and were experiencing difficulties in solving problems including not being able to use concepts, problems and principles. In the high category subjects experienced several indicators of difficulty in solving problems including being unable to use concepts, verbal problems and principles. In the very high category subjects have no difficulty in solving questions including being able to use concepts, verbal problems and principles

Financial literacy is an important literacy for students. However, there are still many Indonesian students who cannot be completely correct in solving the Programme for Internasional Student Assessment financial literacy questions. The aim of this study is to analyze students' errors in answering the PISA financial literacy questions. In this qualitative research, the researcher gave financial literacy questions to Grade VIII students of SMP Negeri 189 Jakarta where the questions were at levels 3, 4, and 5. These questions are based on the examples of financial literacy questions issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development where these questions can be used as a trial or exercise. Error analysis in solving PISA financial literacy questions used Newman Error Analysis. This research involved 33 students of class VIII SMP Negeri 189 Jakarta. Data collection techniques used test questions, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques included: data managing; reading, memoing; describing, classifying, interpreting; and representing, visualizing. The results of this study indicate that the level of financial literacy knowledge of students at SMP Negeri 189 Jakarta is classified as low. Identification of difficulties found 121 mistakes made by students, 34.7% made mistakes in transformation (42 errors), 27.3% made mistakes in process skill (33 errors), 24.8% made mistakes in comprehension (30 errors), while the rest or around 13.2% made mistakes in encoding (16 errors). Future research is needed to find out what factors influence students' financial literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is motivated by students' problems when learning to determine the main idea. The aim of this research is to find out the problems experienced by students in learning to determine the main idea in a text. The type of research used in this research is a case study. This research uses a qualitative approach with the type of case study research chosen using a purposive sampling technique. This research was conducted on class V teachers and class V students at SD N 20 Paninjauan. The instrument of this research is the researcher himself. Data collection in this research is interviews and documentation, the data and information that has been obtained is then analyzed using the Milles and Huberman model. The results of the research, this research shows that the implementation of class V Indonesian language content learning with the material of determining the main idea only uses the lecture method and in implementing the learning the media is not used enough to support the learning process, and the students' ability to read quickly is very low. And when reading texts that are too long, students do not understand the vocabulary in the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the development and piloting of a German version of a concept test to assess students’ conceptual knowledge of density. The concept test was administered in paper-pencil format to 222 German secondary school students as a post-test after instruction in all relevant concepts of density. We provide a psychometric characterization of the instrument based on the student responses. Therefore, we use methods from classical test theory and item response theory. Our analysis shows that our concept test has good psychometric properties. Furthermore, it is shown to enable a reliable (α= 0.77) survey of students’ conceptual knowledge of density. Finally, we use the student responses to identify secondary school students’ difficulties with the density concept. We replicate student difficulties on density from the literature, but our study also reveals some new difficulties.

This study aims to determine the misconceptions and difficulties of sixth-grade students on the subject of angles. The study participants are 25 sixth grade students from a public school in a city in western Turkey during the 2017-2018 academic year. This qualitative study used 17 open-ended questions designed by the researchers for data collection to examine the students' misconceptions and difficulties. Data were examined by implementing content analysis. It has been analysed that students cannot define the angle due to difficulties and misconceptions in determining the corners and edges of a symbol. Besides, they also find it difficult to compare the measures of the angles, adjacent angles, complementary and supplementary angles.

Combining mathematical and physical understanding in reasoning is difficult, and a growing body of research shows that students experience problems with the combination of physics and mathematics in reasoning beyond the introductory level. We investigated students' reasoning about boundary conditions (BCs) for the diffusion equation by conducting exploratory task-based, think-aloud interviews with twelve undergraduate students majoring in physics or mathematics. We identified several difficulties students experienced while solving the interview task and categorized them using the conceptual blending framework. This framework states that in reasoning, people draw from separate input spaces, in this case the mathematics and the physics input space, to form a blended space, where they make connections between elements from these spaces. To identify difficulties, we used open coding techniques. We observed few difficulties in the physics space. In the mathematics space, we identified several difficulties that we clustered in two main groups: findings about the mathematical meaning of BCs, and findings about reasoning with functions of two variables. Lastly, we identified four ways in which blending failed. Starting from our findings, we formulate recommendations for teaching and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research is conducted to obtain a description of students’ difficulties in understanding and applying Pythagorean theorem based on the onto-semiotic approach. This research applies a qualitative approach with phenomenology interpretation design. Research data were collected using test and interview methods. The research result was deducted from students' answer sheets and interviews. Participants involved in this study were as many as 25 students of UPI Lab School Junior High School Bandung, who had learned Pythagorean theorem, 4 of which also participated in the interview. It showed that students found it complicated to comprehend definition, describe symbols or notations of mathematical objects, and interpret mathematical objects. Meanwhile, in solving problems related to the application of the Pythagorean theorem, students could describe procedure, algorithm, and technique in solving questions well. Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan gambaran kesulitan siswa dalam memahami dan menerapkan Teorema Pythagoras menggunakan pendekatan onto-semiotika. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain interpretasi fenomenologi. Metode pengumpulan data, yaitu tes dan wawancara. Partisipan penelitian yang dilibatkan dalam uji kemampuan siswa adalah 25 orang siswa SMP Lab School UPI Bandung yang pernah belajar materi teorema Pythagoras, 4 orang dari 25 orang siswa tersebut dilibatkan dalam wawancara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa siswa mengalami kesulitan dalam memahami definisi, mendeskripsikan simbol atau notasi dari objek matematika, serta kesulitan dalam memaknai objek matematika, sedangkan dalam menyelesaikan permasalahan penerapan teorema Pythagoras, siswa mampu mendeskripsikan prosedur, algoritma, dan teknik penyelesaikan masalah dengan baik.

This article reports on the development and piloting of a German version of a concept test to assess students’ conceptual knowledge of density. The concept test was administered in paper-pencil format to 222 German secondary school students as a post-test after instruction in all relevant concepts of density. We provide a psychometric characterization of the instrument based on the student responses. Therefore, we use methods from classical test theory and item response theory. Our analysis shows that our concept test has good psychometric properties. Furthermore, it is shown to enable a reliable (α= 0.77) survey of students’ conceptual knowledge of density. Finally, we use the student responses to identify secondary school students’ difficulties with the density concept. We replicate student difficulties on density from the literature, but our study also reveals some new difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to describe students' difficulties in mathematicals problem solving based on Polya's. The subjects in this study were 2 students of class VII. This type of research is descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques through problem solving tests and interviews. The results of this study are (1) steps to understanding the problem that students have difficulty in understanding the sentences or terms contained in the problem, and students also have difficulty in finding keywords in the problem; (2) steps to devising the plan that students cannot make a mathematical model; (3) steps to carry out planning are students don’t understand the given problem and aren’t yet right in making mathematical models; (4) the step of looking back is that students don’t understand how to look back correctly and students are still lazy in checking the correctness of the answers. Abstrak: Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan kesulitan siswa dalam memecahkan masalah matematika berdasarkan langkah Polya. Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas VII. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data melalui tes pemecahan masalah dan wawancara. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah (1) langkah memahami masalah yaitu siswa kesulitan dalam memahami kalimat atau istilah-istilah yang terdapat pada soal, dan siswa juga kesulitan dalam menemukan kata kunci pada soal; (2) langkah merencanakan masalah yaitu siswa belum dapat membuat model matematika; (3) langkah melaksanakan perencanaan adalah siswa kurang paham dengan masalah yang diberikan dan belum tepat dalam membuat model matematika; (4) langkah melihat kembali adalah siswa belum paham bagaimana cara melihat kembali dengan benar dan siswa masih malas dalam mengecek kebenaran jawaban.

Abstract:. One of the goals of mathematical education is for students to have the ability to solve problems that include the ability to understand problems, design math models, complete the model and interpret the solutions obtained. So that students are expected to solve the problems that they encounter in their daily lives. However, difficulties can not be avoided when students are faced with the problems they encountered. The purpose of this study is to explain 1) Student difficulties in completing problem-solving question based on Polya's approach; 2) The cause of student difficulty in completing problem solving. Research method used is descriptive qualitative research method. The subject of this research is the fourth grade students in one elementary school in West Bandung Regency with a total of 30 students. Once analyzed, the results obtained are that students are having difficulty at 1) Determining the way in which the solution should be done to solve the problem; 2) Perform correct count operation 3) Conclude from result obtained. Abstrak: Salah satu dari tujuan pendidikan matematika adalah agar siswa memiliki kemampuan untuk memecahkan masalah yang meliputi kemampuan memahami masalah, merancang model matematika, menyelesaikan model dan menafsirkan solusi yang diperoleh. Sehingga siswa diharapkan mampu menyelesaikan permasalahan yang ia temui dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Namun, kesulitan-kesulitan tidak dapat dihindari ketika siswa dihadapkan pada persoalan yang ia temui. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menjelaskan 1) Kesulitan-kesulitan siswa dalam menyelesaikan soal pemecahan masalah berdasarkan langkah menurut Polya; 2) Penyebab kesulitan siswa dalam menyelesaikan soal pemecahan masalah. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian kualitatif deskriptif. Subjek dari penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas IV di salah satu SD di Kabupaten Bandung Barat dengan jumlah siswa 30 orang. Setelah dianalisis, hasil yang diperoleh bahwa siswa mengalami kesulitan pada 1) Menentukan cara penyelesaian yang seharusnya dilakukan untuk menyelesaikan soal tersebut; 2) Melakukan operasi hitung secara benar 3) Membuat kesimpulan dari hasil yang telah diperoleh.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to analysed conceptual understanding and difficulties (misconceptions) of students in the kinetic theory of gases. Test consisted of 9 reasoned multiple choice questions administered after students study the material. From the results of the study, students get an average score of 7.1 from maximum score of 9. Students have mastered the concept of the relationship between ideal gas state quantities (pressure, volume, temperature) and kinetic energy of ideal gases. However, students still have difficulty in determining internal energy if the number of particles changing, the average speed of ideal gases, and the application of ideal gas law to the circulatory phenomena in the heart. Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis penguasaan konsep dan kesulitan (miskonsepsi) siswa pada materi teori kinetik gas. Soal tes terdiri dari sembilan soal pilihan ganda beralasan yang diberikan setelah siswa mempelajari materi tersebut. Dari hasil penelitian, siswa mendapatkan skor rata-rata 7,1 dari skor maksimal 9. Siswa telah menguasai konsep hubungan antar besaran keadaan gas ideal (tekanan, volume, suhu) dan energi kinetic gas ideal. Namun, siswa masih mengalami kesulitan dalam menentukan energi internal dengan jumlah partikel gas yang berubah, kelajuan rata-rata gas ideal, dan aplikasi persamaan keadaan gas pada fenomena peredaran darah di jantung.

Physiology is hard: a replication study of students' perceived learning difficulties. Adv Physiol Educ 43: 121-127, 2019; doi:10.1152/advan.00040.2018.- Human Anatomy and Physiology (HAP) has long been recognized as a difficult course. A 2007 study (Michael J. Adv Physiol Educ 31: 34-40, 2007) sought to better understand this difficulty by asking faculty for their perceptions of why students struggle to learn in HAP. Later research built on these findings by investigating why students find physiology difficult (Sturges D, Maurer T. Internet J Allied Health Sci Pract 11: 1-10, 2013). However, without replication, these claims are limited in their generalizability. There is a need in physiology education research to replicate studies like these across different institutions to support generalizations. We, therefore, replicated both of these studies by collecting survey responses from 466 students at 4 different institutions and 17 instructors at 15 different institutions. We found that students in our study identified similar factors as the students surveyed in the original study. Students most strongly agreed with items that attributed the difficulty of HAP to the nature of the discipline, as opposed to the way physiology is taught or the way students approach learning it. Faculty in our sample, like those in the original study by Michael, agreed most strongly with items that attributed physiology's difficulty to discipline specific factors. Our data reinforce the results of Sturges and Maurer and Michael. We can more confidently claim that HAP students and faculty believe the difficulty in learning physiology is the result of inherent features of the discipline itself and not factors related to instruction or the students themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boxplots are statistical representations for organizing and displaying data that are relatively easy to create with a five-number summary. However, boxplots are not as easy to understand, interpret, or connect with other statistical representations of the same data. We worked at two different schools with 259 middle school students who constructed and interpreted boxplots. We observed that even students who were able to create boxplots had difficulty interpreting data represented in a boxplot. After sharing specific difficulties that we observed students having, we discuss ways to help students to make sense of data presented in boxplots.

Abstract: This study aims to reveal the difficulties of students in understanding the concept of 1 Dimensional motion kinematics. The research subjects were 38 undergraduate students of UNESA Physics Education semester V class A. The research method used a survey using instruments in the form of 20 reasoned multiple choice questions on the topic of Newtonian Mechanics. In this article the discussion is focused on questions number 2 and number 4 because it indicates the difficulties of students in understanding the concept of 1-dimensional kinematics. From the results of the analysis of the reasons for student answers it is known that students experience difficulties, namely, difficulties in distinguishing position, displacement or distance; difficulty interpreting negative acceleration and is always considered a slowdown. Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap kesulitan mahasiswa dalam memahami konsep kinematika gerak 1 Dimensi. Subjek penelitian adalah 38 mahasiswa S1 Pendidikan Fisika UNESA semester V kelas A. Metode penelitian menggunakan survei dengan menggunakan instrumen berupa 20 soal pilihan ganda beralasan pada topik Mekanika Newton. Pada artikel ini pembahasan difokuskan pada soal nomor 2 dan nomor 4 karena mengindikasikan kesulitan mahasiswa dalam memahami konsep kinematika 1 dimensi. Dari hasil analisis alasan jawaban mahasiswa diketahui bahwa mahasiswa mengalami kesulitan yakni, kesulitan dalam membedakan posisi, perpindahan atau jarak; kesulitan memaknai percepatan negatif dan selalu dianggap sebagai perlambatan.

The derivative concept is studied in first-year university mathematics. In this study, we focused on students’ ability to correctly apply the rules for derivatives of functions with the different structures that they encounter in their university studies. This was done by investigating the online responses of first-year students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal to online quizzes that contributed to their assessment. Based on this investigation, we then interviewed eight students to gain an insight into the thinking behind their responses. We report on the analysis of students’ responses to five items on the online quizzes based on the derivative concept. The categories in which those items were based are: condition for existence of derivative at a point; rules for derivatives of standard functions; application of chain rule to different function structures; the application of multiple rules; and application of derivatives to optimise a function. Our findings indicate that students had difficulty in detecting that multiple rules for derivatives were required to differentiate certain types of functions represented in symbolic form. Furthermore, students had difficulty in finding the derivative of a function when more than one application of the chain rule was required. However, there were students who had the ability to apply the rules for derivatives of functions without difficulty. In particular, most of the students were able to correctly recall the differentiation rules for functions with standard structures f(x)=xn, h(x)=ekx and y=[g(x)]n, n ≠ 0 and k is a non-zero constant. Students were also able to correctly apply the chain rule to an exponential function with base e, raised to 4x. The majority of students were able to correctly apply the chain rule together with differentiation rules for logarithmic and exponential (with bases a >1) function structures, and function structures that required the application of the product rule together with the chain rule. Most of the students were able to apply derivatives to optimise a function. Significance: • A significant percentage of students who took online quizzes experienced difficulties with applying multiple differentiation rules in the context of a single function. The difficulties stemmed from their inability to detect from the structure of the function which rules should be applied and also the order in which those relevant rules should be applied.

Abstract: The activity of finding answers to mathematics problems is not easy. Most of MTs Attaraqqie Malang’s students have difficulties when solve PtLSV problems. Students can’t transform narrative texts to mathematics sentence so that they are hard to find the right answer. Therefore, the researchers do a study that aims to describe the form of student difficulties in solving PtLSV problems and the implementation of scaffolding. This research is a qualitative-descriptive research. The research was conducted in MTs Attaraqqie Malang which was attended by 28 students of class VII. The PtLSV problem is given as many as three items. Three research subjects were selected from diagnostic tests, interviews, and mathematics teacher suggestions. The results showed that students: (1) difficulty of understanding the problem (can’t write down the information that was known and asked the question correctly) so assisted by scaffolding level 2 explaining and reviewing; (2) difficulty of devising a plan (can not determine the initial step and the right concept in solving the problem) and assisted by scaffolding level 1 environmental provision and level 2 reviewing; (3) difficulty of carrying out the plan (unable writing mathematical model according to the problem, not using the correct concept, and can not do systematic calculation so that the final result obtained is wrong) and assisted by scaffolding level 2 that is reviewing and restructuring and level 3 is developing conceptual thinking; (4) difficulty of looking back (not checking the truth of answers and difficult to interpreting answers) and assisted by scaffolding level 2 reviewing and level 3 developing conceptual thinking. Abstrak: Kegiatan menemukan jawaban dari permasalahan matematika tidaklah mudah. Sebagian besar siswa MTs Attaraqqie Malang kesulitan ketika menyelesaikan masalah PtLSV. Siswa tidak dapat mengubah teks naratif ke bentuk kalimat matematika sehingga mereka kesulitan untuk menemukan jawaban benar. Oleh sebab itu, peneliti melakukan penelitian yang bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bentuk kesulitan siswa dalam menyelesaikan masalah PtLSV dan pelaksanaan scaffoldingnya. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif-deskriptif. Penelitian dilaksanakan di MTs Attaraqqie Malang yang diikuti oleh 28 siswa kelas VII. Masalah PtLSV diberikan sebanyak tiga item. Tiga subjek penelitian dipilih dari tes diagnostik, wawancara, dan saran guru matematika. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa siswa (1) kesulitan memahami masalah (tidak dapat menuliskan informasi yang diketahui dan yang ditanyakan pada soal dengan benar) sehingga dibantu dengan scaffolding level 2 yaitu explaining dan reviewing; (2) kesulitan menyusun rencana (tidak dapat menentukan langkah awal dan konsep yang tepat dalam menyelesaikan masalah) dan dibantu dengan scaffolding level 1 environmental provision dan level 2 reviewing; (3) kesulitan melaksanakan rencana (tidak menuliskan model matematika yang sesuai masalah, tidak menggunakan konsep yang benar, dan tidak dapat melakukan perhitungan yang sistematis sehingga hasil akhir yang diperoleh salah) sehingga diatasi dengan scaffolding level 2, yaitu reviewing dan restructuring serta level 3, yaitu developing conceptual thinking; (4) kesulitan memeriksa kembali (tidak mengecek kebenaran jawaban dan kesulitan menginterpretasi jawaban) dibantu dengan scaffolding level 2 reviewing dan level 3 yaitu developing conceptual thinking.

Bu çalışmanın amacı radyan kavramına ilişkin öğrenci güçlüklerini gidermeye yönelik bir öğretim yaklaşımı tasarlamak ve uygulanan öğretim sürecinde güçlüklerin giderilmesi yönünde öğrencilerin nasıl bir gelişim gösterdiğini incelemektir. Bu amaçla iki farklı araştırma grubu belirlenmiş, bir grupta matematik öğretim programı ve ders kitabı takip edilmiş, diğer grupta ise literatürdeki radyan kavramına ilişkin öğrenci güçlükleri dikkate alınarak tasarlanan öğretim yaklaşımı benimsenmiştir. Her iki gruptan seçilen üçer 10. sınıf öğrencisinin katılımı ile bir çoklu durum çalışması tasarlanmış ve üç öğrenci ikilisinin gelişimleri karşılaştırmalı olarak ve yorumlayıcı bir paradigma çerçevesinde derinlemesine incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın bulguları, tasarlanan öğretim yaklaşımının literatürde rapor edilen öğrenci güçlüklerinin aşılması bağlamında matematik öğretim programı ve ders kitabı takip edilen gruba kıyasla daha etkili olduğunu göstermiştir.

In this paper, we analyze the errors novice students make when developing invariant based programs. In addition to presenting the general error types, we also look at what students have difficulty with when it comes to expressing invariants. The results indicate that an introductory course utilizing the invariant based approach is suitable from the very beginning of university studies in CS without being ``too advanced''. Although inventing the invariant was not found to be trivial, the main difficulty faced by novices when applying a correct-by-construction approach to program development seems to be related to weak skills in translating intuitive and informal statements into a symbolic form using logical notation in general and quantifiers in particular.

Boxplots are statistical representations for organizing and displaying data that are relatively easy to create with a five-number summary. However, boxplots are not as easy to understand, interpret, or connect with other statistical representations of the same data. We worked at two different schools with 259 middle school students who constructed and interpreted boxplots. We observed that even students who were able to create boxplots had difficulty interpreting data represented in a boxplot. After sharing specific difficulties that we observed students having, we discuss ways to help students to make sense of data presented in boxplots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density has been reported as one of the most difficult concepts for secondary school students (e.g. Smith et al. ). Discussion about the difficulties of learning this concept has been largely focused on the complexity of the concept itself or student misconceptions. Few, if any, have investigated how the concept of density was constituted in classroom interactions, and what consequences these interactions have for individual students' conceptual understanding. This paper reports a detailed analysis of two lessons on density in a 7th Grade Australian science classroom, employing the theory of Distributed Cognition (Hollan et al. ; Hutchins ). The analysis demonstrated that student understanding of density was shaped strongly by the public classroom discussion on the density of two metal blocks. It also revealed the ambiguities associated with the teacher demonstration and the student practical work. These ambiguities contributed to student difficulties with the concept of density identified in this classroom. The results of this study suggest that deliberate effort is needed to establish shared understanding not only about the purpose of the activities, but also about the meaning of scientific language and the utility of tools. It also suggests the importance of appropriate employment of instructional resources in order to facilitate student scientific understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Kirsehir Education Faculty is the property of Journal of Kirsehir Education Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Informatics in Education is the property of Informatics in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Millikan oil drop experiment has been characterized as one of the ‘most beautiful’ physics experiments of all time and, certainly, as one of the most frustrating of all the exercises in the undergraduate physics laboratory. A literature review reveals that work done on addressing student difficulties in performing the oil drop experiment has, to date, not achieved a significant measure of success. The historical background of the oil drop experiment is well established in the literature from the perspective of historians of science, but not so from the perspective of teachers and students of science. A summary of historical details surrounding the original experiment suitable for use in revising the instructional approach is presented. Both Millikan and his graduate student, Fletcher, are featured with the view to emphasizing details that humanize the protagonists and that are likely to raise student interest. The issue of the necessary reliance on presuppositions in doing speculative research is raised, both from the historical account and from the insights of university physics students who heard the historical account and performed the experiment. Difficulties current students have in performing the experiment are discussed from the perspective of Hodson (Stud Sci Educ 22:85–142, 1993) framework and the students’ own observations. Last, further historical materials are outlined that may be used to encourage student insight into the fundamental nature of electricity. It is proposed that these aspects are essential as a basis for identifying and addressing student difficulties with the Millikan oil drop experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]