ANALISIS KESALAHAN MAHASISWA DALAM MENURUNKAN SIFAT-SIFAT VARIANSI DAN SIMPANGAN BAKU

Abstract

Variance and standard deviation are the materials in Statistical method course. Variance and standard deviation become the main focus in this study. The researcher found that there are some students who still make mistakes in lowering the properties of variance and standard deviation. This study aims to describe the mistakes made by students in reducing the properties of variance and standard deviation. This research is a qualitative descriptive research which is conducted at State University of Malang. The participant of this study is the mathematics student offering A on period 2015/2016. The validity of data have been checked through triangulation and peer examinations. The data were obtained by test and interviews. The results of study reported some conceptual and procedural mistakes made by student and also the factors that cause mistakes. The conceptual mistakes made by students are misunderstanding the formula and symbols, misconceptions mean, misunderstanding the nature of addition to sigma notation and also misunderstanding the power and multiplication distribution. The procedural mistakes made by students involve the mistake in writing formula and symbols, distributing number and solving procedure. The factors that cause the mistakes made by students are lack of prior knowledge about the nature of addition of sigma notation, less carefulness when solving the test and less of memory about the mathematical concepts that have been learned earlier.