PROCEEDINGS OF THE 23RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2020
Boston, Massachusetts
Metacognition in college algebra: An analysis of “simple” mistakes
Page: 502
Students’ characterizations of their errors have the potential to direct their future efforts in mathematics, both in and out of the classroom. This study investigates the errors made on one exam by three college algebra students who identified “simple mistakes” as the primary reason they were not satisfied with their test grade. We developed codes for the types of errors made and classified each as “simple” or “not simple.” We then calculated the percentage of points lost due to simple mistakes for each of the three students. Results showed that for each student, approximately 20-40 percent of the errors made on this test could be classified as simple mistakes. We present hypotheses connecting the students’ frustration to these results and provide directions for future research that may test these hypotheses and illuminate differences between student and instructor definitions of simple mistakes.