Students’ Perceptions on Mathematics Problem-solving in Secondary School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/ejsmt.vol11.2.10.2024Keywords:
Mathematics Problem-solving, Secondary School, Students' perceptionAbstract
Problem-solving is one of the most important skills for students to learn, as it will be applied in their career development and future. However, many students encountered difficulty with their school assignments related to problem-solving questions. This study investigated the perceptions among secondary school students regarding mathematics problem-solving questions. The study used a quantitative approach. Through a questionnaire, data were collected from 106 students from a secondary school located in Johor who were selected as respondents. The questionnaire focused on the perceptions of male and female students in problem-solving questions and the difficulties encountered by students in dealing with these types of questions. All respondents needed to identify the strategies or techniques to answer mathematics problem-solving questions. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were used to achieve the objectives of this study. The results showed that students had a moderate perception of mathematics problem-solving questions, and both male and female students had the same perception. Students also encountered several difficulties in solving mathematics problem-solving questions, and there is a significant difference between male and female students in the difficulties encountered when answering the questions. The highest-ranked technique chosen by students to solve the mathematics problem-solving question was remembering solutions that had been derived before.
Downloads
References
D. H. Jonassen and W. Hung, “Problem Solving” in Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning, N. M. Seel, Ed. New York: Springer, 2012, pp. 2680-2683.
M. M. Rahmat, “21st Century Skill ‘Problem Solving’: Defining the Concept”, Asian Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, vol 2, issue 1, pp. 64-74, Sept 2020.
O. J. Alkhatib, “A Framework for Implementing Higher-Order Thinking Skills (Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, and Decision-Making) in Engineering & Humanities” in Advances in Science and Engineering Technology International Conferences (ASET), Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2019, pp. 1-8.
A. H. Abdullah, N. L. Z. Abidin and M. Ali, “Analysis of Students’ Errors in Solving Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Problems for the Topic of Fraction”, Asian Social Science, vol. 11, issue 21, pp. 133-142, July 2015.
T. Tambychik and T. S. M. Meerah, “Students' Difficulties in Mathematics Problem Solving: What do they Say?”, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 8, pp. 142-151, 2010.
Z. A. Aziz, A. Salleh and T. Tambychik, “How do Students Value Themselves?: A Study on Needs and Expectations of Low Achievers”, The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture & Change Management, vol. 9, issue 9, pp. 11-23, Jan 2009.
M. R. Novriani and E. Surya, “Analysis of Student Difficulties in Mathematics Problem Solving Ability at MTs SWASTA IRA Medan”, International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), vol. 33, issue 3, pp. 63-75. May 2017.
M. G. Gurat, “Mathematical Problem-Solving Strategies among Student Teachers”, Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science, vol. 11, issue 3, pp. 53-64, Sept 2018.
A. A. Yusof, N. H. A Hamid and Z. S. Othman, “The Effects of a Multiple Solution Method in Mathematics Learning for Secondary Schools”, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 1988, pp. 1-11, 2021.
S. Palraj, D. DeWitt and N. Alias, “Teachers Beliefs in Problem Solving in Rural Malaysian Secondary Schools”, Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 5, issue 4, pp. 45-57, Oct 2017.
L. Shorser, “Bloom’s Taxonomy Interpreted for Mathematics”, Dept. of Mathematics, University of Toronto, Canada, 1999.
A. Zeidmane and V. Duka, “Students' Perceptions on Practical Problem Solving in Mathematics in E-environment”, International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, vol. 4, issue 2, pp. 47-51, Sept 2013.
K. Hadley and W. Oyetunji, “Extending the theoretical framework of numeracy to engineers”, Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 111, issue 2, pp. 376-399, Feb 2022.
A. H. Abdullah, N. L. Z. Abidin and M. Ali, “Analysis of students' errors in solving Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) problems for the topic of fractions”, Asian Social Science, vol. 11, issue 21, pp. 133, July 2015.
M. S. Bajuri and Z. S. Othman, “Sport Science Students’ Perceptions in Solving Mathematical Word Problems”, Applied Mathematics and Computational Intelligence, vol. 10, pp. 127-139, Mar 2023.
D. DeWitt, N. Alias and S. Siraj, “Problem Solving Strategies of Malaysian Secondary School Teachers”, in Educational Technology World Conference, Bali, Indonesia, 2016.
S. Kourias, “Control Technologies as Mind-Tools: Emerging Mathematical Thinking Through Experiential Coding Activities in the Preschool Classroom” in Handbook of Research on Integrating ICTs in STEAM Education, IGI Global, pp. 23, 2022.
S. T. Yimer and N. N. Feza, “Learners’ Conceptual Knowledge Development and Attitudinal Change towards Calculus Using Jigsaw Co-operative Learning Strategy Integrated with GeoGebra”, International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 15, issue 1, Sept 2019.
Z. S. Othman, N. H. Tarmuji and Z. A. G. Hilmi, “Students Perception on the Usage of PowerPoint in Learning Calculus”, in AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 1830, issue 1, April 2017.
Z. S. Othman, A. K. Khalid, , C. T. Mohd Shafee and N. B. Tukiman, “Evaluation of Students’ Satisfaction on Learning Calculus using Fuzzy Conjoint Model”, Journal of Creative Practices in Language Learning and Teaching (CPLT), vol. 7, issue 1, pp. 11-20, Feb 2019.
C. Sutanapong and P. I. Louangrath, “Descriptive and Inferential Statistics”, International Journal of Research & Methodology in Social Science, vol. 1, issue 1, pp. 22-35, Jan-Mar 2015.
S. Noor and J. Golzar, “Simple Random Sampling”, International Journal of Education and Language Studies, vol. 1, issue 2, pp. 78-82, Dec 2022.
M. D. Junyong In, “Introduction of a Pilot Study”, Korean Journal of Anesthesiology, vol. 70, issue 6, pp. 601-605, Nov 2017.
A. Zeidmane and V. Duka, “Students’ Perceptions on Practical Problem Solving in Mathematics in E-environment”, International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy, vol. 4, issue 2, pp. 47-51. Sept 2013.
N. Akhter, M. Akhtar and M. Abaidullah, “The Perceptions of High School Mathematics Problem Solving Teaching Methods in Mathematics Education”, Bulletin of Education and Research, vol. 37, issue 1, pp. 55-77, June 2015.
P. Phonapichat, S. Wongwanich and S. Sijiva, “An Analysis of Elementary School Students’ Difficulties in Mathematical Problem Solving”, Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 116, pp. 3169-3174, Feb 2014.
J. H. Lamb, “Reading Grade Levels and Mathematics Assessment: An Analysis of Texas Mathematics Assessment Items and Their Reading Difficulty”, The Mathematics Educator, vol. 20, issue 1, pp. 22-34, 2010.
D. Kaya, D. Izgiol and C. Kesan, “The Investigation of Elementary Mathematics Teacher Candidates’ Problem Solving Skills According to Various Variables”, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, vol. 6, issue 2, pp. 295-313, Feb 2014.
H. Vos, M. Marinova, S. De Leon, D. Sasanguie and B. Reynvoet, “Gender differences in young adults’ in mathematical performance: Examining the contribution of working memory, math anxiety and gender-related stereotypes”, Learning and Individual Differences, vol. 102, pp. 1-10, Jan 2023.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Siti Nurhafizah Zainal Abidin, Nor Hafizah A Hamid, Zarith Sofiah Othman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
