The effect of changes in mathematics curriculum in improving students’ reasoning skills and mathematical problem solving

Abstract

This study aims to describe the effect of changes in mathematics curriculum on mathematical reasoning skills and problem solving for junior high school students in Bima, Indonesia. Curriculum changes in Indonesia are motivated by several factors, including because students still have not been able to maximize the power of reasoning and problem solving so that the previous applied mathematics curriculum is deemed necessary to be refined so that the power of reasoning and solving mathematical problems can be maximized by students. The data in this study were obtained through giving a test to the eighth grade junior high school students in Bima. The evidence of validity of instruments was obtained from an expert judgment in the form of agreement on the feasibility of the each item of instruments. The estimation of reliability of instruments using the Kuder-Richadson formula (KR-20) with the reliability coefficient for reasoning and problem solving instruments are respectively 0.72 and 0.73. The results showed that there were no significant differences in mean scores of mathematical reasoning and problem solving between students of The Previous Mathematics Curriculum group and students of The New Mathematics Curriculum group indicated by the F 0.02 value with a significance value of (p) 0.162 in the two test group MANOVA or there is no effect of changes in mathematics curriculum on students’ reasoning abilities and mathematical problem solving. This study also found that students from both groups obtained the lowest average score on reasoning indicators drawing conclusions, while the lowest average score of the two groups of students in solving mathematical problems was on the aspect of understanding problem information.