Mathematical Problem-Solving Heuristics Used by Secondary 2 Students

Mathematical Problem-Solving Heuristics Used by Secondary 2 Students

Heuristics or heuristic strategies refers to specific tactics, such as guess and check or modeling, which are used by students to solve non-routine problems for which they do not have a readily accessible procedure that determines the solution. The aim of this study was to find out the heuristics used by the Secondary 2 students to solve non-routine problems. A total of 621 Secondary 2 students from ten secondary schools in Singapore participated in the study. The study showed that the heuristics used by the Secondary 2 students to solve the problems were "guess and check", "modeling", "logical reasoning", "use of algebra", "use of formula", "look for a pattern", and "number manipulation".