8th grade student's misconceptions in High School Entrance Exam questions related to exponential and square root expressions

The aim of this research is to determine the misconceptions of 8th grade students in the skill-based questions related to the achievements of exponential and radical expressions asked in the mathematics subtest in the High School Entrance System central exam, and to determine the students' views on these questions. Based on this purpose, the research was carried out with the case study method, one of the qualitative research methods. The sample of the study was determined by using criterion sampling and easily accessible case sampling, which are among the purposive sampling methods. 156 students studying in 8th grade in Afyonkarahisar province in 2022-2023 academic year constitute the sample of the research. The data of the research were obtained through the "Exponential and Rooted Expressions Achievement Test" and "Semi-Structured Interview Form" prepared by the researcher. Exponential and Rooted Expressions Achievement Test High School Entrance System central exam includes 10 skill-based questions asked in the mathematics subtest. This test was administered to 156 students. With the Semi-Structured Interview Form, interviews were conducted with 16 students selected among 156 students. The collected data were evaluated by content analysis method. As a result of the analysis of the data, 17 different misconceptions based on the literature that the students experienced on the subject of exponential and radical expressions were found. In addition, 8 different misconceptions not detected in the literature were identified by the researcher. As a result of the research, some suggestions were made by the researcher to avoid these misconceptions. In addition, the opinions and suggestions of the students interviewed in the research about the skill-based questions asked in the High School Entrance System central exam were also included.