Systematic error patterns in geometrical measurement among fourth-grade pupils

Geometrical measurement has a great and important background in mathematics due to its high demand in a variety of professions and workplaces. However, majority of the pupils are not competent in geometrical measurement, which continues to be a problem that many teachers must address. It appears that studying pupils’ geometrical measurement error patterns may shed light on their conceptual understanding, ways of thinking, and learning problems of geometrical measurement. Several preliminary researches on identifying error patterns in geometrical measurement have been conducted. However, most of them have only investigated and addressed the generalities of the problem and seem to have overlooked the specific errors involved based on the level of understanding of the pupils. As a result, this study aimed to identify and categorize fourth-grade pupils’ error patterns in geometrical measurement based on the SOLO Taxonomy level of understanding. Fifteen fourth graders were selected based on their level of understanding of geometrical measurement, which varied across different levels of the SOLO Taxonomy, to respond to the Geometrical Measurement Skills Instrument (GMSI) before semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results revealed the error patterns systematically based on SOLO Taxonomy (i.e., from surface level of understanding to deep level of understanding). The results could help provide early warning about pupils’ limitations in geometrical measurement at each level of understanding, allowing teachers to plan appropriate instructional strategies and types of assessment for pupils at different cognitive levels.