NORTHERN MINDANAO COLLEGES, INC.

City of Cabadbaran
College of Teacher Education

DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY THE GRADE 8 IN

MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS

A Research Study Presented to

the Faculty of College of Teacher Education
Northern Mindanao Colleges, Incorporated
City of Cabadbaran

A Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
Major in Mathematics

By
IRISH JOY B. CAPLES
NIÑO JAMES BRIAN Y. DAGANI
RICHARD B. DINGAL

December 2022
 CHAPTER I 1

THE PROBLEM AND IITS SCOPE

This chapter showed the background of the study, the significance of

the study, scope and delimitation, theoretical/conceptual framework,

schematic diagram, statement of the problem, hypothesis, and definition of

terms.

Introduction

In our daily lives, mathematics is quite important. It is a subject that

deals with issues requiring analysis, computation, and other mental abilities.

The concept that studying mathematics aids in learning, thinking, and the

application of that reasoning to practical issues has historically served as the

driving force for both learning mathematics and teaching it. Math helps to train

the mind to think critically and analytically. It goes beyond math,

measurement, and computation. It opens everyone's eyes in the sciences. As

far as Mathematics instruction is concerned, the major goal is the involvement

of the students in the process of discovering mathematical ideas and

formulating process. The development of the mind to solve issues requiring

higher order thinking skills is one of the intriguing topics regarding studying

mathematics. These issues and problems sparked people's curiosity and

tested their inventiveness. A discussion on problem solving the classroom

enhances students' skills and their capacity for thoughtful, rational, and

creative thought. Hugar (2011) said that while equations, processes, and word
problems may come to mind when picturing a mathematics classroom, a

student must learn

how to master these concepts in order to answer difficulties. As a result, there

has been a shift in recent years toward teaching arithmetic through the

solution of problems. According to Polya (19), solving a routine problem did

not contribute to the mental development of the student. He believed that to

provide an opportunity for students to develop higher-order thinking in the

process of understanding, analysis, exploration and application of

mathematical concepts, non-routine problems should be employed. However,

students generally fear the idea of solving non-routine problems because

these problems are usually non-standard, involving unexpected and unfamiliar

solutions. Besides, students are also apprehensive, anxious and extremely

uncomfortable because they are not able to recall and apply learned

procedures in a straightforward way.

The essential priority of mathematics taught in basic education is not

only to provide mathematics education to everyone but also to do so in an

equitable manner. Once taught, numeracy enables the development of the

mathematical knowledge and skills required for integrated and active

involvement in a particular society and adaptation to impending changes.

Access to a wider universe than that in which people were educated and

helps people become adapted to the realities of the modern world.

Filipino students find word problems difficult (Brawner et al., 1999), and the

language factor is identified as one of the “what-else-is-new” reasons for

student failure (Philippine Executive Report on the TIMSS, Carteciano, 2005).

Multiple studies have shown that Filipino students find word problems in

English more difficult than those in Filipino (Bautista, Mitchelmore, & Mulligan,

2009; Bautista & Mulligan, 2010 ; Bernardo, 1999). It is also well-known that

word problems in English are more difficult for students who are still in the

process of learning English than for native English speakers (Martiniello,

2008).

In view of this, the researchers wish to conduct a study with this

topic, the "Difficulties Encountered by Students in Solving Mathematical

Problems" to determine the mathematical problem and to foster post thinking

using the steps in solving word problem.

This study can be used by teachers to assess students' abilities to

solve mathematical issues and to resolve students' challenges with word

problems. This is useful for teachers, especially when teaching problem-

solving steps.

To the curriculum makers, this study can be used and contributed to

the curriculum design to present and develop a new, simpler method to

problem-solving that will meet the needs of the students and assist teachers

in teaching the skill to students more effectively.

To the students, using the strategies discussed in this study, they can

comprehend why they have trouble with some mathematical issues and solve

written problems quickly and correctly.

To the future researchers, it would be advantageous for them to use this

study as a springboard for developing strategies to also address the students'

worries about problem-solving.

Theoretical Framework

This study was guided on Cognitivist Theory of Jean Plaget which states

the factors that affect learning and teaching Mathematics. Reading

comprehension skills and the ability to solve mathematical problems could be

the difficulties of pupils to solve mathematical word problem. In relation to the

study, pupils find difficulty in Mathematics. For instance, solving word

problems require mental representation of the problem and simple arithmetic

to transform the word problem into a mathematical equation. As a result,

students who are not skilled in formulating a mathematical equation will not be

able to solve the word problem which will lead the pupils to the unfavorable

attitudes towards Mathematics. The theory of Cognitive Psychology Approach

stressed that pupils need to apply cognitive strategies of goal and sequences

of mental operation in order to learn and solved worded problems. Teachers

should adjust their instructional practices according to the different pre-skills

that the students have because these pre-skills play a big part in solving

mathematical problems. When students gain more conceptual and procedural

skills in Mathematics, they become more competent and efficient in learning

mathematics.

The above mentioned theories serve as the framework which

directed to the conduct of the study. The pupils' attitude and the teachers

learning resources or the teaching skills were considered as difficulties factors

encountered by the pupils in solving mathematical word problem solving

(Bruning, et. al., (2011). Comitive Psychology and Instruction (5th ed.).

Boston: Pearson Education.)

 Newman (Abdul, 2015) suggests that there are five stages in the

solution mathematical problems, namely (a) reading error is the ability of

students to read mathematical problems given and to identify sentences and

mathematical symbols used, (b) comprehension errors of the ability of

students to understand math problems, (c) transformation errors that is the

ability of students to determine the method of mathematical solution, (d)

process skill errors that is the ability of student in doing process skill errors of

mathematics correctly or not, and (e) enconding errors that is student ability to

write enconding errors according to question. Polya (1985) states that in

solving the problem solving, there are four steps to be taken: “(1) to

understand the problem, (2) plan for completion, (3) do the problem according

to plan, and (4) to re-examine for all steps are done. In the PISA mathematics

literature, the problem-solving stage is to formulate (identify and identify

opportunities to use mathematical problem solving), to form into the

mathematical model, and finally to get the solution plan.

Schematic Diagram

Independent variables Dependent variables

Pre-test score
Mathematical Modeling
Post-test score
Pre- evaluation
Math Riddles
α Post- evaluation

Figure 1. This diagram showed the interplay of independent variable and the

dependent variable.
Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of math riddles

for enhancing word-problem-solving outcomes among students with

difficulties in mathematical problems in Grade 8 students at Northern

Mindanao Colleges Inc

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following question;

1. What is the performance of the two groups of respondents in the pretest?

1.1. Control group

1.2. Experimental group

2. What is the performance of the two groups of respondents in the post-test?

1.1. Control group

1.2. Experimental group

3. Is there a significant difference between the pretest scores of the control

and experimental group?

4. Is there a significant difference between the post-test scores of the control

and experimental group?

5. Is there a significant difference between the pretest and post-test scores of

the control and experimental group?

Hypothesis Testing

The following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

1. There is no significant difference between the pretest result of the

experimental and control group.

2. 2. There is no significant difference between the post-test result of the

experimental and control group.

3. There is no significant difference between the pretest and post-test result of

the experimental and control group.

Scope and Delimitation:

The study focused on the difficulties encountered by students in solving

Mathematical problems. The study involves grade 8 students at Northern

Mindanao Colleges, Inc. The research included the difficulties of the students

in the steps in problem-solving. The research also includes the mistakes

committed by the students. The study is conducted during the second term of

the academic year of 2022-2023.

Definition of Terms

Math Riddles-

Mathematical Modeling-
 Chapter II

Mathematical problem-solving has been a central focus of teaching

and learning since the inception of mathematics education (Liljedahl et al.,

2016). There is a greater need than ever for persons who appreciate

mathematics, have developed mathematical thinking skills, and can apply

mathematics in modeling and problem-solving to solve new difficulties created

by changes in our lives (Ministry of National Education [MoNE], 2018). People

are growing up as individuals with high-level mental talents, such as logical

thinking, creative thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making, as a result

of mathematics education, which can contribute greatly to individual and

social development (Krueger & Lindahl, 2001).

According to Krulik and Rudnick (1980), the steps in problem-solving

are reading, exploring, choosing a strategy, solving, reviewing, and extending.

Identifying the issue is the first step, as you can read. The issue solver

accomplishes this by making a list of keywords, asking oneself what the

difficulty is asking, or restating the problem in terms that are simpler to

comprehend.The second step, Exploring, is when one looks for patterns or

attempts to determine the concept or principle at play within the problem. This

is essentially a higher form of step one in which the student identifies what the

problem is and represents it in a way that is easier to understand. In this step,

however, the student is really asking, “What is this problem like?” He or she is

connecting the new problem to prior knowledge. The student might draw a

picture of what the situation would look like.The third step, Select a Strategy,

is where one draws a conclusion or makes a hypothesis about how to solve

the problem based on the what he or she found in steps one and two.One

experiments, looks for a simpler problem, and then conjectures, guesses,

forms tentative hypothesis, and assumes a solution. The fourth step is Solve

the Problem. Once the method has been selected the student applies it to the

problem. The final step, Review and Extend, is where the student verifies his

or her answers and looks for variations in the method of solving the problem

Problem-solving is a major part of mathematics. It is the sum and

substance of our disciplined to reduce the discipline to a set of exercises and

skills devoid of problem-solving misrepresenting mathematics as a discipline

and shortchanging the students.(Wilson, Fernandez & Hadaway, 2002).

According to Candelaria (2002), a problem-solving process is referred to as a

heuristic. For Polya (1945), problem solving heuristics are not clear-cut rules

in coming up with the correct answers, rather they are possible solutions for

certain problems. According to Polya (1981), solving a routine problem did not

contribute to the mental development of the student. He believed that

providing an opportunity for students to develop higher-order thinking in the

process of understanding, analysis, exploration, and application of

mathematical concepts, non-routine problems should be employed. However,

students generally fear the idea of solving non-routine problems because

these problems are usually non-standard and involve unexpected and

unfamiliar solutions. Besides, students are also apprehensive, anxious, and

extremely uncomfortable because they are not able to recall and apply

learned procedures in a straightforward way.

Students with learning difficulties often struggle with both mathematics

and reading. Powell et al. (2020) revealed the estimated comorbidity rates for

mathematics difficulties MD with reading difficulty (RD) were between 30%

and 70% among existing research studies. They presented a brief overview of

findings related to the characteristics of students with MD and RD. Difficulties

in reading and language among students with MD + RD might contribute to

their low performance in mathematics. Even though students with learning

difficulties showed weaknesses in working memory, short-term memory, and

long-term memory, the patterns of these weaknesses were likely different

among students with MD alone and those with MD + RD. Consequently,

Powell et al. raised the question of whether students’ reading abilities might

be a moderator that affect how they respond to mathematics interventions.

Powell and colleagues (2020) reviewed 65 published studies on

interventions promoting mathematics proficiency from 1990 to 2018. Only 13

of these studies provided information related to intervention responses for

students with MD+RD or MD alone. Among them, only three studies directly

compared the responses of students with MD+RD and with MD alone to the

same intervention. Most studies used percentile to identify students with or

without MD, but a wide range of cutoff scores were detected from 10 th

percentile to 50th percentile. Lack of consensus in MD categorization made the

direct comparison of student performance across studies impractical.

Chapter III

Methodology

Research Design

This research is purely descriptive in nature and uses pre-test /post - test

result and survey result to address the problems.

Research Locale

This study was conducted at Northern Mindanao Colleges Inc found at A.

Atega Street 8605 Cabadbaran City Philippines

Research Respondents / Sampling Design

The respondents of this study are the Grade 8 students enrolled in the subject

mathematics for year 2022-2023 of Northern Mindanao Colleges Inc.

Considering a very large number of respondents the sample size has been

determined using the sloven formula and random sampling technique

Research Instruments

The research instrument used in this study was pre- design questioner for

pre- test and posttest for the students. the questioner was a tool to use by

researchers to collect data, which was used to determine the mathematical

skills of the students.

The pretest is a word problem type and composed of 5 items. The pretest

includes clear illustration which helped students comprehend easily. The

posttest also a word problem type and composed of 5 items. The posttest

includes explaining how they derive that solution, that help evaluate what they

learn.

Data Gathering Procedures

The researchers will give a letter of request and sample draft questioners to

the Authority/ Adviser for improvement. Upon approval, the researchers will

secure permission from the school head and the selected Grade 8 students.

After a letter of permission was sought, the researchers met the respondents

on the dates scheduled for conducting the suggest intervention.

Statistical Treatment

The data were gathered from the questionnaire were collected and

presented in tables. Appropriate statistical treatment using Statistical Package

for Social Sciences (SPSS) used in study includes the following:

Percentage and frequency distribution was used to organize and describe

the personal profile of the students-respondents.

Descriptive Statistics (Minimum, Maximum, Mean and Standard Deviation).

These are used to describe the pre-test and post-test scores of the students.

Weighted Mean and Descriptive Rating was used to describe the math

riddles effectiveness given by the researches. Below are the interpretations

for the scores, mean and weighted means gathered.

Standard Deviation is the most important measure of dispersion since it

enables us to determine with a great deal of accuracy where the values of the

distribution are located in relation to the mean. This was used in describing

the dispersion of the students" scores in the pre-test and post-test