9. Sınıf Matematik Öğretiminde Hata Temelli Aktivitelerin Akademik Başarı ve Eleştirel Düşünmeye Etkisi

This study aims to examine the effects of Mistake-Handling Activities (MHA) on students' academic achievement and critical thinking skills in 9th-grade mathematics instruction. The research was conducted in a Science High School in Turkey with 59 students and employed a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group. While MHA was implemented in the experimental group, traditional teaching methods were used in the control group. The MHA activities were designed based on the 9th-grade topics and learning objectives outlined in the Ministry of National Education’s (MEB) Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum. These activities consisted of open-ended questions and incorrect solutions related to these questions. Data were collected through students’ academic achievement scores in mathematics and critical thinking skill scales. The findings of the study revealed that MHA significantly improved the academic achievement of students in the experimental group. A positive difference was observed between the pretest and posttest academic achievement scores of the experimental group, whereas no such improvement was detected in the control group. The posttest results of the critical thinking skills scale also indicated a significant difference between the groups in favor of the experimental group. These results suggest that errors should not be considered merely as inaccuracies to be corrected in the teaching process but also as tools that foster learning. MHA facilitated the development of students’ critical thinking skills through cognitive conflict. Based on the study’s findings, it is recommended that MHA be adapted to other subjects and different age groups to expand its implementation. Furthermore, teachers should be encouraged to receive training on effectively applying this approach in their instructional practices.