A study on the algebraic working processes of senior high school students in Ghana

The aim of this study was to examine the working processes employed by Ghanaian senior high school students when dealing with tiling pool problem algebraically. The study employed survey design, with a total sample of 304 Senior High School Form 1 students from three Senior High Schools in the Central Region of Ghana. Data were collected through Super Item test based on Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. Qualitative data were coded and analysed into themes. The results showed that most of the students surveyed were unfamiliar with the tiling pool problem and could not find a link between the algebraic concepts learnt and non-routine problems. It is recommended that high school teachers should consider students’ working processes as integral part of their instructions and assessments.