The aim of the study is to develop an understanding of the kinds and sources errors and misconceptions that characterise students' learning of school algebra. Systematic random sampling was used to draw sixty-five participants from a population of two hundred and twenty-three form three students. A cross sectional survey design was employed to collect data using written tests, a structured questionnaire and interviewing of the students from one high school in Zimbabwe. Content analysis technique was applied to textual data from three sources in order to determine the types of errors and misconceptions. The main findings are that both procedural and conceptual errors were prevalent that errors and misconceptions can be explained in terms of the students' limited understanding of the nature of algebra; in particular their fragile grasp of the notion of a variable. Sources of misconceptions could be explained in terms of the abstract nature of algebra Mathematics educators should embrace errors and misconceptions in their teaching and should not regard them as obstacles to learning but rather engage with them for better understanding of algebraic concepts by students. Future studies can be carried on systematic errors as one of the ways of improving students' understanding school mathematics.

This study aimed to understand how secondary mathematics teachers engage with learners during the teaching and learning process. A sample of six participants was purposively selected from a population of ordinary level mathematics teachers in one urban setting in Zimbabwe. Field notes from lesson observations and audio-taped teachers’ narrations from interviews constituted data for the study to which thematic analysis technique was then applied to determine levels of mathematical intimacy and integrity displayed by the teachers as they interacted with the students. The study revealed some inadequacies in the manner in which the teachers handled students’ responses as they strive to promote justification skills during problem solving, in particular teachers did not ask students to explain wrong answers. The teachers indicated that they did not have sufficient time to engage learners in authentic problem-solving activities since they would be rushing to complete syllabus for examination purposes. On the basis of these findings, we suggest teachers to appreciate the need to pay special attention to the kinds of responses given by learners during problem-solving in order to promote justification skills among learners.

Background: A good command of algebra concepts is vital for proficiency and success in higher mathematics and related disciplines. However, students are beset by conceptual challenges which require consistent attention because errors and misconceptions hinder learning and understanding.Aim: With the aim of mitigating the problem of errors and misconceptions in school mathematics learning, a qualitative descriptive-interpretative research study was conducted.Setting: The study involved 30 ordinary-level learners purposively sampled from one rural boarding high school in Zimbabwe.Methods: Focus group discussions in which learners scrutinised illustrative sketches of erroneous worked examples were used as means to raise informants’ awareness of common errors and misconceptions in school algebra. Task-based interviews were used to elicit data in the form of participants’ written responses to tasks involving school algebra concepts. Content analysis informed by Biggs and Collis’ model and Kiat’s taxonomy of errors was applied to the textual data.Results: With respect to basic ideas in algebra such as notions of coefficients, operators and variables and simplifying algebraic fractions, Grade 11 learners reached the extra-extended and relational levels of the SOLO model and solutions were free from conceptual and procedural areas. With regard to solving quadratic equations, lower levels of the SOLO model manifested with solution attempts marred with conceptual errors.Conclusion: It can be concluded that error analysis has a potential to mitigate the problem of errors and misconception among Grade 11 learners depending on the nature of content involved.Contribution: These findings have important implications for mathematics education and research in school algebra in the sense that it has contributed to efforts intended to find strategies that can provide solutions to the persistent problem of errors and misconceptions in mathematics education.