Analysis of deaf students understanding math concepts in the topic of geometry (rectangle shape): A case study

Abstract

Students with special needs are students who need special treatment, especially in terms of learning, apart from being limited in communication and knowledge; they also have limitations in learning mathematics. One type of students with disabilities is deaf students. The purpose of this study was to describe how students understand mathematics, especially geometry material (shape rectangle) using cardboard media. The research subjects consisted of one female student with hearing loss seventh grade at the Inclusive School in Gresik Jawa Timur Indonesia. The selected research subjects are students with moderate hearing impairment to enable an interaction between researcher and subject. The research instrument uses video records to see how the subject understands (geometry) rectangular shapes through cardboard media and when students work on a given problem, photos to refer the results of student work, and written test in worksheets to get the data on student 'work. The data analysis technique used descriptive analysis by describing students' understanding in understanding rectangular shapes using cardboard media. The results showed that using visual objects students found it easier to identify geometric shapes based on their physical appearance. However, students had difficulty in defining rectangular shapes and did not find a relationship between rectangular shapes and square shapes. Deaf students in this study generally use the different ways that the students generally in expressing his understanding of the shapes rectangle.