Towards Intelligent Tutoring with Erroneous Examples: A Taxonomy of Decimal Misconceptions

Abstract. In the mathematics domain of decimals, students have common and persistent misconceptions. These misconceptions have been identified, studied, and published by many researchers, spanning over 80 years of time. However, no paper discusses and brings together all of the identified misconceptions. This paper presents an initial taxonomy of decimal misconceptions, summarizing the results of past work. We also discuss the potential use and benefits of such a taxonomy in supporting the development of intelligent tutors that use erroneous examples as a learning tool for middle-school math students