Several common errors reflecting difficulties in probabilistic reasoning are identified, relating to ambiguity, previous outcomes, sampling, unusual events, and estimating. Knowledge of these mistakes and interpretations may help mathematics teachers understand the thought processes of their students. (MNS)

Provides overview of significant facets of Error Factors (EFs)--promoters of underlying confusion in learning--discussing main types of EFs, sources of EFs in learning contexts, factors influencing frequency of EFs, use of tests and exercises, and effects of EFs and their mistreatment. Forty-seven sources are listed. (EJS)

A study was done to determine the usefulness of the components of a knowledge of results (KR) statement for organizing response correction. Errors in direction and distance components of a KR statement testing psychomotor skills were manipulated across four groups. The groups receiving directional information were more accurate in error…

An operational definition of careless errors was provided and used in an investigation of 50 children attending an international primary school in Lae, Papua New Guinea. Results indicated that mathematically competent and confident children tend to make a greater proportion of errors than other children. (MP)

Data indicate that relatively advanced science-oriented college students can experience serious difficulties in symbolizing certain meaningful relationships with algebraic equations. Reversal errors in formulating equations were seen to stem from two main sources: (1) a syntactic word order matching process and (2) a semantic static comparison…

Errors in self-reports of three academic performance measures are analyzed. Empirical errors are shown to depart radically from both no-error and random-error assumptions. Self-reports by females depart farther from the no-error and random-error models for all three performance measures. (Author/BW)

In these choice response keyboard tasks, older subjects detected and corrected their errors as efficiently as the young. Reaction time (RT) for error and error correction responses remained relatively constant with increasing age while RTs for correct responses and other, arbitrary, error-signaling responses markedly increased. (Author/SJL)

Seventy percent of the children (non-conservers in length) who had to respond to length equality as opposed to inequality made the correct invariance judgment and could characterize their choices in invariance language, while still failing the standard verbal task in which the experimenter used such phrases. (Author/SJL)

Discusses the theoretical foundations of both basic approaches to contrastive analysis, the predictive, "a priori" version, and the explanatory, "a posteriori" version. Analyzes problems in both approaches, and states that explanatory investigations must be divorced from "classical" contrastive analysis and used with a more realistic methodology…

This report discusses students' understanding of the algebraic concepts of gradient and intercept with respect to simple graphs. A pilot study is described which attempts to identify the difficulties students encounter and determine the number of students who have these difficulties. (MK)

In a study of advanced shorthand students, the following were the most frequent transcription errors: punctuation errors, substitutions, spelling or English usage errors, poor corrections, omission in notes, and incorrectly written figures. Constant reviewing, testing, and drills in these areas were recommended. (CT)

Describes how, through the use of two diagrams, one can teach the English present-perfect to Iranian students. One diagram consists of a time-line divided into "past" and "non-past." The other uses an oval to indicate a time-span including the present. Both facilitate comprehension of present-perfect meaning. (PJM)

Outlines a method for teaching writing encourages self-improvement while downplaying competition. The instrument is a scoring grid which classifies and tabulates errors, then assigns values in each of several pertinent categories, based on the student's performance in that category relative to his classmates. Individual and group evaluation is…

Indicates that a teacher's responses to errors made by students in oral reading are related to that teacher's theoretical orientation as well as to the type of error made. (HOD)

Examines 158 examples of malapropisms and determines three possible sources of this type of error: (1) childhood errors that were never corrected, (2) other kinds of imperfect learning, and (3) breakdown in the storage and retrieval system of the mental lexicon. (AM)