An Analysis of Students’ Mathematical Problem Solving Skill in Completing Multiplication and Division of Fractions

Abstract

The mathematical ability and mathematical problem solving skill can be separated in learning mathematics. In the fourth industrial revolution, one of learning objectives of learning mathematics is the student has a skill in solving mathematical problem. Meanwhile, mathematical problem solving skill can be obtained if the students’ mathematical concept understanding is high including multiplication and division of fractions. They stated that understanding fraction concept was very difficult. This study aimed to analyze the student mathematical problem solving skill of the tenth grade of Junior High School in completing multiplication and division of fractions. This research had 8 informants. Data was collected using interview and test and applied qualitative and quantitative analysis. The initial data was obtained from elementary school with three categories of mathematical ability level, namely (1) one student had high skill, two students had moderate skill and one student had low skill. The indicator of mathematical problem solving was based on George Polya (1983) consisting of four steps, they are (1) understanding problem, (2) planning a problem, (3) completing the problem, and (4) rechecking the result. The research result indicated that the student mathematical problem student was low, especially the problem solving of fraction division and multiplication. The student was difficult to make a solving plan. This situation effected on problem solving caused by the indistinctness of problem solving plan or mathematical model and/or mathematical formula about verbal sentence of mathematical problem solving. The result of interview described that the teacher did not explain the ways of completing mathematical problem solving based on G.Polya’s steps. In addition, the students were less practice in completing the problem solving questions. Besides, the teacher did not integrate the objectives of basic competence 3 and 4 in each meeting.