Abstract
<p align="center"><strong><em>Abstract</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong></p><p><em>This research is a qualitative research based on classroom reports. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of the RME approach on the imagination and creative thinking abilities of elementary school students in solving math problems. The method of data collection was done through written tests, observations, and interviews. The participants in this study consisted of a class teacher, 36 grade 6 elementary school students, and an observer. The results showed that the application of the realistic mathematics education (RME) learning approach had a positive effect, namely encouraging the development of students' imaginative power and creative thinking skills in solving problems. The principles of RME are in line with the objectives of learning mathematics, namely to equip them with the ability to think logically, realistically, analytically, systematically, critically, and creatively.</em></p>
Highlights
Learning mathematics in elementary schools is an interesting study to discuss because of the different characteristics, namely between the nature of students and the nature of mathematics
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of the realistic mathematics education (RME) approach on the imagination and creative thinking abilities of elementary school students in solving math problems
The results showed that the application of the realistic mathematics education (RME) learning approach had a positive effect, namely encouraging the development of students’ imaginative power and creative thinking skills in solving problems
Summary
Learning mathematics in elementary schools is an interesting study to discuss because of the different characteristics, namely between the nature of students and the nature of mathematics. Elementary school-age students are developing at the level of thinking. Mathematics is a deductive, axiomatic, formal, hierarchical, abstract science, and is a meaningful language of symbols (Venturi, 2015; Vojkuvkova, 2012). Given these differences in characteristics, it is necessary to have a special ability from a teacher to bridge the world of children who have not thought deductively in order to understand the deductive world of mathematics. The results of previous studies show that for students mathematics is difficult, mathematics is a lot of memorizing
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