Students’ perceived difficulty of mathematical tasks: an investigation on influencing factors

The paper shows the main results of a qualitative survey focusing on students' perceived difficulties after solving mathematical tasks (grade 9 and 10 students). The aim is to identify fa tors that influence students' perceived difficulty. Although factors contributing to an increasing or decreasing task difficulty (in an absolute sense) are widely discussed in the literature, students' perceived difficulty regarding a mathematical task is not. We believe that the analysis of the questionnaire and focus group conducted with students highlight some important reflections on the influence that metacognitive, affective and task factors have on students.