Pre-service Teachers’ Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities Solving Strategies and Errors

Year 2018, Volume: 10 , 163 - 167, 12.09.2018

Derar Serhan Farouq Almeqdadı

Abstract

Many students in different grade levels face
difficulties while solving absolute value equations and inequalities. These
difficulties may be attributed to the strategies that the math teacher used in
solving absolute value equations and inequalities. This study
investigated the strategies that pre-service teachers used and the errors they
made while solving absolute value equations and inequalities. Fifty-one
pre-service teachers enrolled in an introductory mathematics course
participated in this study.  Data were collected from a test that
consisted of four absolute value equations and inequalities. Participants were
asked to solve these absolute value equations and inequalities and show their
work. Participants’ errors while solving each absolute value equations and
inequalities were recorded. The results of the study indicated that many
pre-service teachers made few errors when solving absolute value equations and
inequalities. 

Keywords

Absolute value equations and inequalities, Pre-service teachers, Solving strategies, Math education

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