Learning from errors: Identifying strategies in a math tutoring system

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate how students gain knowledge by utilizing help and practice after making errors. We define three types of strategies used by students after errors: help-seeking (requesting two worked examples in the next attempts after an error), practice (solving the problems in the next two attempts after an error), and mixed (first requesting a worked example or first solving a problem in the next two attempts after an error). Our results indicate that the most frequently used strategies are help and mixed strategies. However, the practice strategy and mixed strategies facilitate immediate performance improvement. Additionally, the help strategy was found to interfere with delayed performance.