Misconceptions of Mathematics and Its Relationship to The Learning Pleasure among Elementary School Students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study aims to identify misconceptions of math concepts and reveal their relationship to math learning pleasure among elementary students. Content of math books was analyzed from the first to the fourth elementary grades, and a test was prepared on the basic concepts of mathematics taught in those grades (Numbers and operatios on numbers, and fractions and operations on fractions). Moreover, a questionnaire of math learning pleasure was designed, and the study tools were administered to (120) elementary school fifth-graders in Wadi Al-Dawasir Governorate. The data was analyzed using SPSS V20. The results indicated that there were some math misconceptions among elementary school students, with regard to estimation, the numerical phrase, the numerator and denominator, and adding two fractions of different denominators. This study attributes many of the misconceptions to the weak Arabic language skills of many students, which is evident from the students' answers. The study findings also revealed that the level of math learning pleasure among the participating students was generally average. The study revealed a weak correlation of 0.2, which is not significant at 0.05, between the math misconceptions and the pleasure of math learning. The study also revealed that there were significant differences at 0.05 between males and females with regard to math misconceptions, and the study concluded with a set of recommendations and suggestions for future study.