Promoting Problem-Solving Skills by Engaging Students in Detecting, Explaining and Fixing Errors in Applications of the First Derivative in Individual and Collaborative Settings

Learning from erroneous examples that involve step-by-step problem solutions containing errors that can be detected, explained and fixed by students could be beneficial for the students’ problem-solving skills. Previous studies have investigated the effectiveness of erroneous examples in mathematics learning, but less attention has been focused on the effectiveness of the use of erroneous examples in individual and collaborative settings when erroneous examples are combined with self-explanation prompts and practice problems addressing students’ problem-solving skills. The present quasi-experimental study with a post-test only non-equivalent group design was therefore intended to examine the extent to which presenting erroneous examples in individual and collaborative settings could promote students’ problem-solving skills. The results suggest that the use of erroneous examples in both settings is effective in promoting students’ problem-solving skills, with neither setting being better than the other. In light of these results, teachers can vary the use of these learning settings in facilitating their students’ learning through erroneous examples.