Mathematics Students' Common Mistakes in Master Thesis at lmam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (lAU) in the Light of an Analysis of Its Content and Faculty Members' Perspective

Background/purpose. This study aimed to identify common mistakes made in master's theses on mathematics education by Saudi mathematics students at lAU in Saudi Arabia, as determined through a content analysis, and to compare these with the views of faculty members. Materials/methods. A descriptive approach (analytical and survey) was employed. The sample consisted of 52 master's theses and 16 faculty members who supervised and discussed mathematics education master's theses. Two tools were used to collect data: a Content Analysis Card and a questionnaire administered to faculty members. Results. Using content analysis, 71 mistakes were identified: 62 uncommon mistakes, 1 fairly common mistake, and 8 extremely common mistakes (the findings indicate that master students in the field of mathematics find it challenging to write an introduction, literature review, and thesis results and discussion sections). In addition, according to faculty members, there were 63 uncommon mistakes, 1 fairly common mistake, 6 common mistakes and 5 very common mistakes (An intriguing finding is that the very common type of mistake was literature review, and also interestingly shows that mistakes were commonly made with the method section, thesis results and discussion sections). Moreover, the results revealed a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.05) between the content analysis of common mistakes in master's theses specializing in mathematics education at IAU and the views of faculty members. It is interesting to note that, based on an analysis of their content and faculty members' perspectives, the most common mistakes in master's theses were found in the "literature review" and "thesis results and discussion" sections. Conclusion. Based on the findings, several recommendations and suggestions are presented.