Profile of Intuitive Thinking Ability on the Topic of Limits Assessed Based on Students’ Representation of Functions

Abstract

This research aims to describe the intuitive thinking process of students who are capable of representing functions graphically and notationally, only able to represent functions graphically, only able to represent functions in notation, and unable to represent functions graphically or notationally in understanding the concept of limit. This research is a qualitative study and was carried out at ABBS (Al-Abidin Bilingual Boarding School) high school in the odd semester of the 2023/2024 teaching year. The subject of the study was a student in the 12th grade of high school who was selected based on the way the student represented the function, i.e. was able to represent the function graphically and notationly, was only able to represent the function graphically, was only able to represent the function in notation, and was not able to represent the function graphically or notationally. Data collection was carried out with a written test technique. The validity of the data in this study uses source triangulation whereas the data analysis technique used is the Miles and Huberman model consisting of data reduction, data presentation, and inference recall. The results of the research concluded that students who can represent functions in the form of graphics and notation, only in graphic form, only in the form of notation have the intuitive thinking ability Power of synthesis, that is, students can answer questions directly, immediately, or suddenly using the ability of combinations of formulas and algorithms that they possess. Students who cannot represent functions in graphic and notation forms own the ability to think intuitively Catalitic Inference, that is, answering direct questions immediately, using shortcuts, giving short answers, are not detailed, and are unable to give logical reasoning.