Students’ thinking process in solving mathematical problems based on the levels of mathematical ability

Abstract

Problem-solving is one of the main skills in mathematics learning. In Indonesia, problem-solving skill has been embedded in the national education goals. Nevertheless, many students still have difficulties in solving mathematical problems that involve higher order thinking process. This study aimed to analyze students’ thinking process when solving mathematical problems according to the levels of mathematical ability. This study is descriptive research and uses a qualitative approach. The participants of the study were undergraduate students in one of the universities in Aceh province, Indonesia. The data were collected by a triangulation method, involving mathematical problem-solving test and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed by using by Miles and Huberman’s method, including the data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing stages. The findings showed that the three groups of students had different thinking processes. While students with high mathematical ability thought conceptually when solving mathematical problems, students with low ability had computational thinking. Meanwhile, students with moderate ability used semi-conceptual thinking during the problem-solving process. The findings of this study suggested that the students’ mathematical ability might lead to different ways of students’ thinking processes when solving mathematical problems and different levels of communication skills. Thus, mathematics educators are supposed to consider this aspect when designing teaching instructions.