Using Teachers’ Deliberate Errors to Enhance Learning and Critical Thinking in Mathematics Education

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Administration, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22091/jrim.2025.13244.1314

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of the teacher’s deliberate error strategy, using an explicit approach, on enhancing sixth-grade students’ mathematics learning and critical thinking. Employing a quasi-experimental design (pretest-posttest with a control group) and a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative), the research was conducted in a public elementary school in Tehran during the 2024–2025 academic year. The study population included sixth-grade male students; two intact classes (each with 32 students) were non-randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received mathematics instruction based on the deliberate error strategy over six 45-minute sessions, while the control group received traditional instruction. Data were collected using a standardized provincial mathematics achievement test and a researcher-developed performance checklist, which was validated by five educational experts using CVR/CVI methods and aligned with the theoretical framework. Quantitative data were analyzed using ANCOVA, and qualitative data were examined through directed content analysis. Qualitative codes, grounded in a theoretical framework, were organized into four main themes: enhanced accuracy in learning, strengthened scientific risk-taking, cognitive engagement and mathematical dialogue, and internalization of concepts through error analysis. The reliability of these codes was confirmed through peer review with a Kappa coefficient of 0.85. Findings indicated that the experimental group showed significant improvement in mathematics learning (posttest scores, p < 0.001) and critical thinking—as evidenced by the performance checklist and qualitative themes—compared to the control group.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 31 August 2025
  • Accept Date: 10 September 2025

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