An Error Analysis of Students’ Misconceptions and Skill Deficits in Pre-Calculus Subjects

Abstract

The study determined the students’ misconceptions and skill deficits in Pre-Calculus subjects utilizing error analysis. It determined the students’ misconceptions, skill deficits, and their reasons, and propose reinforcement activities addressing the problem in Pre-Calculus subjects. The quantitative and qualitative approaches were conducted to come up with a high reliability score result. The respondents were the 50 second-year Engineering students of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology who have difficulty in pre-requisite subjects of Calculus. Based on the findings, students had misconceptions about the basic concepts and laws in Algebra necessary for performing fundamental algebraic operations. They also lacked skills in performing algebraic operations. Students also had misconceptions about Trigonometry, particularly on trigonometric functions and their inverses which were pre-requisite concepts and skills in higher mathematics subjects. Moreover, students had misconceptions about Analytic Geometry, particularly in the slope of a line, equations of a line, and graphing functions and conics. The reasons for their misconceptions and skill deficits were due to their lack of knowledge retention, teachers’ methodology, teachers’ lack of knowledge, and lots of school activities.