Examining tenth-grade students’ errors in applying Polya’s problem-solving approach to Pythagorean theorem

Abstract

This study uses Polya’s problem-solving strategy to explore student errors and causal factors in Pythagorean theorem problem-solving. The sample was drawn from tenth-grade students at Al Hosn Secondary School in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in the academic year 2023/2024. Data were collected using two methods: written examinations, as outlined in Polya’s strategy, and interviews with students who committed errors. The research test instrument consists of 3 trigonometric problem-solving. From 30 students of Al Hosn Secondary School, there were 48.9% of data errors, 50% of concept errors, 57.8% of strategy errors, 47.8% of calculation errors, and 14.4% of careless errors. The errors made by the students originated from their inability to comprehend the geometric interpretation of the Pythagorean theorem, difficulties in applying algebraic operations, and challenges in modelling the data provided in the problems.