Abstract

Great emphasis is placed on Problem Solving in the secondary school mathematics curriculum. Consequently a vast body of research has also been conducted. In the classroom, teachers persevere at demonstrating a variety of methods to model this skill we call problem solving. However, students remain to have great difficulty. Phenomenography, research with the goal of analyzing, and describing experience, is used in this study to determine what students believe Problems, and Problem Solving to be. Forty-six students from a secondary three and secondary four class were asked to answer two questions: (1) Please define (in your own words) a problem . Think of it in the mathematical sense. (2) Please define (in your own words) problem solving . Think of it in the mathematical sense. Student responses were tabulated. Five variables, (perseverance, classification of problems, personal attachment to problems and problem solving, interpretation of problem solving, and the mention of methods used to solve problems) are related to student achievement (measured by percentile rank). Observations are made about student perceptions, and their achievement. Further research is needed to determine if these perceptions can be modified.