ERROR ANALYSIS IN SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH DERIVATIVES

Abstract

The article presents the validation of the items of a diagnostic self-assessment system aimed at identifying difficulties in solving problems involving derivatives. The instrument was structured based on contextualized problem situations and distractors developed from conceptual and procedural errors described in the error-analysis literature. Thirty-four students who had previously taken a Calculus course participated in the study. Item validation was carried out through the analysis of participants’ responses, considering the plausibility of the distractors and their ability to represent the incorrect reasoning anticipated in their construction. The “I don’t know” options also proved relevant as they explicitly revealed the difficulties associated with each item. The results indicated that the items were able to discriminate between different strategies and forms of reasoning used by the students, providing evidence of the diagnostic validity of the instrument. It is concluded that the set of items is suitable for composing a self-assessment system that supports students in recognizing their own difficulties and promotes self-regulated learning in differential calculus.