EXPLAINING THE CAUSES OF STUDENTS’ MISPERCEPTION IN LEARNING DIVISIBILITY RULES USING DIDACTIC MATHEMATICS

Abstract

One of teachers’ important tasks in teaching mathematics is to help students identify and correct their mistakes. It may facilitate, students to develop their intellectual competence and reinforce knowledge and skills. Students’ mistakes are varied and have different causes.

In this study, we used two models to interpret the source of student mistakes: “rule of action” and “concept”. To illustrate this approach. We consider solving the problem: “Find the integer value of a so that the value of the expression  is divisible by the value of the expression ”. Hypotheses formulated from institutional analysis: “There exists a rule of action: when solving a problem, students make a polynomial division, then assign the remainder zero value to find a”. The research results show that many students made mistakes in solving the math problem due to the “rule of action” and the “conception” that a is assigned a value.