Improving students’ mathematical communication skills and learning interest through problem based learning model

Abstract

One of the objectives of mathematics learning is to improve mathematical communication skills. One learning model that can improve such skills is problem based learning (PBL). This study aimed to examine the improvement of students’ mathematical communication skills and students’ motivation in statistics using PBL. The method used in this study was classroom action research (CAR). Twenty-seven Year 12 students participated in the study. The instruments used included a test for examining students’ mathematical communication skills, observation sheet for observing student activities, and observation sheet for evaluating the ability of teachers in managing the learning. The results showed that there was an increase in students’ mathematical communication skills through PBL model in Cycle I and II, the average score was 68.89 and 75.56, respectively. The students’ interest in learning mathematics through PBL, specifically statistics, was also improved in each Cycle, with an average of 51% and 67% for the Cycle I and II. The finding of this study can be used as a reference to improve students’ mathematical communication skills using the PBL model. The PBL model also has a positive impact on students’ interest to learn mathematics and it can contribute to help students achieving the mastery learning of statistics.