Investigation of primary school sixth grade students' mistakes regarding decimal fractions

Considering the use of fractions in daily life, the necessity of decimal numbers becomes even more obvious. In meeting one's daily needs, decimal numbers are often encountered rather than fractions, and instead of the four operations in fractions, operations are performed using decimal numbers on the calculator. In the Primary School Mathematics Curriculum (2005), teaching the subject of decimal numbers ends in the 6th grade. For this reason, teaching decimal numbers in the 6th grade is the last opportunity to correct the missing and incorrect information and misconceptions about decimal numbers, as the knowledge, skills and practices acquired about decimal numbers until this grade will be reflected in subsequent learning and applications in daily life. It is clear that if this opportunity is not used well, the wrong habits will continue. It is thought that this study can make an additional contribution to the studies done so far on the subject. This study is important in minimizing deficiencies and mistakes in this regard. Studies on decimal notations are limited in the literature. No study has been found in the literature that examines the errors made in decimal notation at the 5th and 6th grade levels in secondary school. This study aimed to examine the mistakes made by 5th grade and 6th grade students about decimal fractions. In this context, in the study, students were given a practice exam consisting of 8 questions and their errors were detected by asking them to solve the questions out loud.