Teachers’ perspective of algebra learning in junior high school

Abstract

Teaching algebra in junior high school has its own difficulty. Algebra topic, such as using the variable, is introduced in the seventh grade of junior high school. Teachers must change students' ways of thinking from arithmetic thinking to algebraic thinking. The aim of this study is to know the teacher's perspective of algebra learning, especially about the number topic, in junior high school. The instrument was an open questionnaire, and it was given to 26 mathematics teachers at junior high school in Padang Pariaman region. The analysis used a descriptive approach. The result of the analysis shows that 18 teachers (69%) use media in learning mathematics, and most of them use media manipulative. There is no teacher using computer base media learning. Teachers find problems in algebra learning, such as students do not understand the type of number and the order of operations, which is happened because of misconception in mathematics.