Errors and misconceptions of secondary school students in absolute values: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Although absolute value is of interest to mathematics teaching researchers, since many students face problems with it, there does not seem to be an integrated record of students’ errors. The present study attempts to conduct a systematic review to identify and categorize errors and misconceptions of secondary school students aged 12–18 concerning the concept of absolute value. Following the PRISMA method, empirical studies published in English later since 1990 studying the errors and misconceptions of secondary school students with absolute value were looked up through the databases Scopus and Web of Sciences as well as through the Google Scholar search engine. From the 11 empirical studies that were eventually found, a categorization of misconceptions and corresponding errors arose. The first main category concerns the transition from the arithmetic to the algebraic domain while the second main category concerns the definition of absolute value in the form of a piecewise function. It is noteworthy that these two categories sometimes interact and are linked. Based on these findings, practical implications are discussed that strengthen the understanding of mathematical literacy.