Abstract:

This study aimed at describing the mathematical connection profile of male Junior High School student with positive attitudes toward mathematics in solving mathematical problems.  The subject in this study was an eighth-grade male student of Junior High School with positive attitudes toward mathematics. The subject was selected by giving an Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) to all eighth-grade students at SMPN 1 Jember in 2016/2017, and one male student (initial FDA) in the positive group with the highest ATMI score was chosen. The instruments in this study were an ATMI to select the subject and  Problem Solving Task (TPM) for collecting data. This research was an exploratory research using a descriptive-qualitative approach. Time triangulation of data was used to have a credible data. Data analysis was done by data categorization, data reduction, data display, data interpretation, and conclusión.

The term “mathematical connection†is an important component to the fourth point of the five standards of mathematical learning of mathematics. Therefore, the Government of Indonesia makes the mathematical connection as the objective of mathematics learning at school, that is to enable students to understand mathematical concepts, to explain the connection between concepts and to use concepts and algorithms flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and in an appropriate way to solve mathematical problems. The mathematical connections made by students in solving mathematical problems can be called efficient if the connection of mathematical ideas made by the students is sufficient, not less and not excessive; it is called strong if the connection of mathematical ideas is logical, and the use of connections made by students is effective when it can solve problems correctly. If mathematical connections made by students do not meet the category, it is called inefficient, not strong (weak), and ineffective. In this article we want to describe how mathematical connection profiles of a male junior high school student with positive attitudes towards mathematics, namely how the process of the student link and use mathematical ideas in solving mathematical problems, and how the results of the link of mathematical ideas, whether efficient, strong, and effective, or vice versa.

The research results showed that the mathematical connection profile of male junior high school student with positive attitudes toward mathematics (subject FDA) in solving math problems can be described as follows. The student linked and used connections mathematical ideas to solve problems. The connections of mathematical ideas include the concept of a rectangle linked with the concept of a right triangle and the concept of a trapezoid. Next, he linked these ideas with the concept of triangle area, trapezoidal circumference, and social arithmetic concepts related to the calculation of the cost of fence, gate, and funds still needed by Mr. Amir. He also linked each concept with data/facts, mathematical symbols and counting operations correctly. From the relevance of mathematical ideas that student recognized and used, the connection of mathematical ideas in solving mathematical problems had sufficient numbers and were all required to solve math problems. In addition, the attribution of ideas that were made was correct and logical and used effectively to obtain the correct answer.

From the research results above, we can see that the research subject in this study recognized and used mathematical connections between mathematical ideas in the form of facts, concepts/principles, and mathematical symbols in sufficient quantity, and they were linked appropriately and the mathematical ideas connection were used effectively so that it could solve problems correctly. Thus, we can conclude that the profile of mathematical connections of male junior high school student with positive attitudes toward mathematics in solving mathematical problems had included an efficient, strong, and effective category. From this result, it is suggested to the math teachers to create a learning process that is able to facilitate all students to improve their attitudes toward mathematics as well as their mathematical connection activities so they are able to succeed in solving mathematical problems.

 

Keywords: Attitudes toward mathematics, mathematical connection, solving mathematical problems.

Acknowledgment: The authors would like to thank DRPM Kemenristekdikti, and the University of Jember for supporting the Research Fund for a Doctoral dissertation in 2018.