Investigating Students’ Mathematical Difficulties in Quadratic Equations at Grade Ix

Abstract

This was a case study related to investigating students’ mathematical difficulties with quadratic equation at grade IX. The main purpose of this study was to explore the students’ difficulties while learning quadratic equations and to find out the causes of difficulties while learning quadratic equations at grade IX. This study was based on the qualitative nature. The researcher selected the one school from Kanchanpur district by purposive sampling, which was Baijnath Secondary School, Gailnadi. The case for this study was the students of the grade IX. This study was conducted in 24 students at grade IX. The data were collected from students’ written test and in-depth interview with students at grade IX. Also in-depth interview was taken with mathematics teacher. Total ten questions related to quadratic equations were used in the written test which was constructed on the basis of research objectives. The collected information’s were analyzed at five different levels (Conceptual, Factorization, Completing Square, Quadratic Formula and solving Process Difficulties). The data were analyzed with the help of related literatures. On the basis of test result five respondents were selected for the interview. The collected information through the interview were coded, transcribe and making themes then findings are drawn. The data were analyzed with the help of related literatures. The findings of this study shows that, the students have conceptual and procedural difficulties in solving quadratic equations at grade IX students such as; unable to factorize, unable to apply factorization principle appropriately, inability to use completing square for solving quadratic equation, students always emphasis on product only rather than process, students remembered the quadratic formula incorrectly, had difficulty in determining the factors through cross multiplication and completing square principles. The causes of difficulties were lack of pre- requisite knowledge, lack of the basic knowledge about quadratic equation, irregular in school, not sufficient interaction on teacher and student’s carelessness in study and students did not have sufficient practices of mathematics.