Abstract:
This study sought to contribute to the literature on why non-routine word problems in
Mathematics often seem difficult for learners. Three hundred and sixty-nine Primary
and Junior High School teacher trainees from three Colleges of Education in Southern
Ghana participated in the study. A non-routine mathematics word problem
achievement test was administered to the teacher trainees, after which 18 (out of the
369) were interviewed to explain their processes. The difficulties encountered by
participants were analysed using Newmans (1977/1983) Error Analysis as the
theoretical framework. The results revealed that the pre-service teachers generally had
weak proficiency in non-routine word problem solving. The majority of participants
could not solve problems at the Junior and Senior High School levels. Implications of
the findings for pre-service teacher preparation at the College of Education level in
Ghana and countries that have similar mode of teacher education are provided.
