Erudite Journal of Engineering Technology and Management Sciences

Vol. 1, No. 2, December, 2021, pp. 14-16

Journal homepage: http://www.ejetms.com

Difficulty in Solving Mathematical Problems by Students

Badveeti Adinarayana1*
1
Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering, REVA university, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India

Corresponding Author Email: [email protected]

Received: 02 September 2021 ABSTRACT

Accepted: 12 November 2021 The study analyzed the various difficulties faced by the third year students when solving a
math problem. The study also revealed that the students’ inability to mentally translate the
problem into a proper form and use correct math made it harder for them to complete their
Keywords: math problems. The study revealed that students tend to underestimate the complexity of
Solving mathematical problem, problems they face as problem solvers. This impairs their ability to solve them efficiently.
students, efficiently, difficulties

1. INTRODUCTION Despite the importance of mathematics, many students are

not able to identify and interpret the basic concepts of the
Due to its importance, mathematics is often studied and subject. Also, they make errors when they use and interpret
used in our daily lives. It has been regarded as a subject that numbers. These students often struggle with basic math
helps individuals develop their reasoning and problem-solving concepts and are prone to getting into remedial classes.
skills. Aside from being able to solve problems, mathematics According to Polya, doing non-routine problems can help
also develops the mind's ability to think critically. Its students develop higher-order thinking. He argued that these
importance is also evidenced by the number of students who types of problems can also help students improve their
are involved in the process of formulating ideas. One of the analytical skills.
most challenging parts of learning mathematics is developing Although it's beneficial for students to solve non-routine
the mind to solve problems that require higher-order thinking problems, they tend to be nervous and uncomfortable doing it.
skills. Doing so helps develop students' creativity and logical Also, they are not able to apply learned procedures in a simple
thinking. way.
In 2011, Hugar explained that in order to learn math, The study, which was carried out by professor Yeo, showed
students need to master the skills of problem-solving. This is that students in the city-state performed poorly when it came
a process that has been prevalent in the last couple of decades. to solving word problems.
According to the dictionary, problem-solving is the process of The difficulty in solving math problems is evident in the
thinking about a problem and coming up with a solution. classrooms. Some students were not able to solve the problems
According to a study conducted by the University of New even after trying.
York, problem solving is a process that helps students develop Other students also committed erroneous math operations
their cognitive abilities. After carefully analyzing the problem, due to careless math calculations.
students then formulate a strategy to come up with a solution. These students also have difficulty understanding verbal or
This process helps them develop new ideas and formulate a written directions or explanations. They also tend to commit
strategy that will help them solve the problem. The process math errors due to their improper calculations.
helps the students develop their understanding of the concepts
introduced in their study. It also serves as an integral part of 2. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
their math lessons.
In 2004, Michael Yeo stated that problem solving in The ability to solve math problems through written
mathematics can be described as working mathematically. solutions provides students with a valuable insight into the
However, this is not the case since the process involves the difficulties they might face while working on them. The four-
organization and dealing with the various pieces of step process used by Polya helped them identify the problems
knowledge. they might have encountered.
Bandong (2000) said that if a student sets his mind to The findings of this study reveal how students approach
learning, he can learn everything that math has to offer. He problem solving and provide insight into their thinking.
noted that the patience needed to learn arithmetic is the key to
success.

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 Although difficulties are not the sole reason why students The study mentioned that four factors contribute to a
can't solve math problems, they play a crucial role in the person's ability to solve a problem. These include having a
learning process. good knowledge of math, having an affective approach to
problem solving, having managerial skills, and selecting and
3. LITERATURE REVIEW implementing appropriate strategies.
In 1993, Miller and Kroll identified three major factors that
Krulik (1987) states that a problem is a situation where an contribute to students' difficulties in problem solving and
individual or group of individuals confronts a problem, and knowledge, control, and beliefs affect a person's ability to
that the individual does not see a path to resolution. solve problems.
Different experts have provided their own definition of Aside from having the ability to solve problems, Lester also
problem solving. The difference between these two is that they noted that other characteristics such as having a good
only discuss the ways in which the concepts are formulated. disposition and being able to attend to the various structural
In 1994, Schoenfeld explained that problem solving is a features of a problem can also help a good problem solver.
process that students go through when they encounter a non- According to the study of Cai (2005), three goals for
specific math problem. problem solving are: first, to examine the complexity of the
They must first read the problem thoroughly, analyze it for cognitive processes involved in solving problems; second, to
any information it has, and come up with a strategy to solve it. explore the ways in which students can make sense of
Through the process, students can develop new ideas and mathematics; and third, to identify future directions for
improve their existing ones. It also helps them develop new problem-solving research.
connections. If problem solving is taught in the classroom, students will
In 2005, Cai wrote that problem solving can be explained as be able to apply the theories they learned in school to real life
a cognitive process and that it can be done with the help of situations.
certain skills. This paper explores the effects of problem
solving on creativity and learning. 4. METHODS
According to Hugar (2011), problem solving is the back
bone of math instruction. This concept emerged due to the Twenty-four third year students of the SV University's
increasing number of students who are able to mentally solve Biology of Education major participated in the study.
complex problems. The objective of the test was to determine the difficulty of
The various aspects of the curriculum related to problem students in solving problems related to math. The allotted time
solving are presented in the following three themes. 1) The for the test was 40 minutes.
idea that solving problems is a requirement for academic The test was conducted using the frequency of occurrence
success, 2) It's art, and 3) It's a learning process. of errors as a factor to evaluate the difficulty of the students in
Referencing the concept of problem solving, Lester (1994) solving math problems.
stated that it involves the coordination of various patterns of
inference, knowledge, and previous experiences in order to 5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
generate new representations of complex problems.
In his book, Yeo (2004) also explained the various forms of The answers to the five-item test revealed that the third year
knowledge that can be used to solve a problem. The types of college students had various difficulties in solving the
knowledge that were presented in the book include algorithmic problems. The table below shows the stages where the students
knowledge, factual knowledge, and strategic knowledge. failed to complete the task.
According to Newman (1983), the difficulty in solving a The study also showed that the main difficulties students
problem can be traced back to the various phases of learning, face in solving math problems are their inability to mentally
which are known as the seven steps. translate the problem into math and their inability to use
correct math.

Table 1. Difficulties in solving mathematical problems

Incorrect
Understanding the Devising a plan (Lack of Carry-out the plan Looking back or
plan (Lack of strategy knowledge) (Inability to translate answering the problem
comprehension) the problem to (Inability to use correct
mathematical form) mathematics)
Problems Frequency (F) Frequency (F) Frequency (F) Frequency (F)
Age 0 7 12 13
Time 6 17 17 18
Motion 0 7 20 21
Number 5 19 20 20
Geometry 11 17 17 17
Total 20 63 82 85

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 In a study conducted by the SV University, over eighty four Extracted from http://www.lhup.edu/swillia6/MATH
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6. CONCLUSION http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk /journal/yeo.pdf

The main difficulties that the participants of this study had

were in translating their problems into math equations and in CC-BY
constructing correct math equations. These issues need to be This is an Open Access article that uses a funding
corrected in order to improve their skills in solving math model which does not charge readers or their
problems.
institutions for access and distributed under the
The study revealed that students should develop an
analytical mind when it comes to math problems. They should terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
also expose them to various math strategies that will help them License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
solve them. and the Budapest Open Access Initiative
The study's findings will also be used to improve the course (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read)
syllabus in mathematics. It will also be used to develop which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and
strategies that will help students solve problems successfully. reproduction in any medium, provided original
work is properly credited.
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