Preliminary study on mathematical problem solving ability of junior high school students on the triangle subject D R Ningsih1*, E Nurlaelah2 and A Jupri2
1Program Studi Pendidikan Matematika, Sekolah Pascasarjana, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
*dewi_ratnaningsih16[at]yahoo.com
2Departemen Pendidikan Matematika, Sekolah Pascasarjana, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Setiabudi No. 229, Bandung 40154, Indonesia
Abstract
The triangle subject is a part of geometry concept. The subject is important to be mastered if a student wants to develop the geometrical ability. However, in the fact, some research reveal that Mathematical problem solving ability of students is still low because students are not yet accustomed to solve mathematical problems yet. The purpose of this study to determine the ability of mathematical problem solving students in junior high school on the triangle subject. This study was conducted by using descriptive qualitative method. The sample in this study is consisted of 32 students in the grade IX which was taken with purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through the test which consists of three essay questions based on the indicators: (1) identify the adequacy of the data; (2) create a mathematical model of daily problems and solve it; (3) select and implement strategies to solve mathematical problems; (4) interpret the results according to the origin of the problem and do the verification. The results of this study indicate that students difficulties in problem solving, and every student has different levels of mathematical problem solving ability.
Keywords: Geometry, Triangle, Mathematical problem solving ability
