JPMI (Jurnal Pembelajaran Matematika Inovatif)
Vol. 9 No. 5 (2026): JPMI

A sequential error pattern in mathematical creative thinking: From concept to representation

B. Widya Melati Patricia (Universitas Jambi)
Duano Sapta Nusantara (Universitas Jambi)
Syamsir Sainuddin (Universitas Jambi)
Da Tien Nguyen (Hanoi Metropolitan University)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Sep 2026

Abstract

This study analyzes the types and patterns of mathematical errors made by low-achieving students in solving mathematical creative thinking ability tasks. A qualitative descriptive approach with an error analysis method was employed. From 54 eighth-grade students at two public junior high schools in Jambi, who were randomly sampled for the MCTA test, 44 students were purposively selected as low-achieving. Data were collected through written tests, semi-structured interviews, and documentation. Only three of six error types were observed, namely Conceptual Error, Strategic Error, and Representation Error. CE was the most frequent type on every item, observed in 61.4% to 90.9% of the students, and SE and RE occurred mostly together with CE. Procedural, Symbolic, and Computational Errors were not observed. This pattern suggests that the work of low-achieving students stalled at the conceptual stage before procedural work began. The study offers a frequency-based account of how error types co-occur on creative tasks, which indicates that conceptual understanding is a foundational prerequisite for MCTA.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jpmi

Publisher

Subject

Mathematics

Description

JPMI – Jurnal Pembelajaran Matematika Inovatif publishes original research or theoretical papers about teaching and learning in mathematics education on current science issues, namely: 1. Mathematics educator in elementary, secondary and high school level 2. Mathematics observers and researchers ...