| Sumario: |
Background: In Costa Rica, since 2012, schoolchildren have been trained in
modelling as a fundamental part of the educational curriculum. Objectives: To identify
and characterise errors incurred by a group of secondary school students in Costa Rica
when applying the mathematical modelling process phases when solving direct
proportionality tasks. Design: Through a qualitative approach, specifically a case study,
it aims to study the participants’ social interpretations. Setting and Participants: The
modelling tasks were applied to 24 students attending the 7th level of middle school
education in the province of San José in Costa Rica, when the topic of direct
proportionality is deepened and the participants have been instructed in modelling tasks
since the first years of elementary school. Data collection and analysis: Information
was collected through participants’ written productions, researchers’ observation, and
interviews. Content analysis was carried out through the categorisation proposed by
Abrate et al. (2006) to analyse mathematical errors. Results: The participants did not
apply all phases of the mathematical modelling process, making more errors due to
incorrect or unintended calculations and incorrect associations when solving the
mathematical model. Conclusions: We concluded that the errors detected in this work
are elements of reflection, progress, and feedback that should encourage the teachers’
search for strategies that help solve the deficiencies that emerge when students solve
modelling activities.
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