Pre-service Teachers’ Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities Solving Strategies and Errors

Abstract

Many students in different grade levels face difficulties while solving absolute value equations and inequalities. These difficulties may be attributed to the strategies that the math teacher used in solving absolute value equations and inequalities. This study investigated the strategies that pre-service teachers used and the errors they made while solving absolute value equations and inequalities. Fifty-one pre-service teachers enrolled in an introductory mathematics course participated in this study.  Data were collected from a test that consisted of four absolute value equations and inequalities. Participants were asked to solve these absolute value equations and inequalities and show their work. Participants’ errors while solving each absolute value equations and inequalities were recorded. The results of the study indicated that many pre-service teachers made few errors when solving absolute value equations and inequalities.