Enhancing Students’ Mathematical Creative Problem Solving Ability Through Situation-Based Learning

Abstract

Learning activities which emphasize more on answering questions than presenting questions have caused students’ lack awareness to encounter some problems. The situation of the students’ weak problem finding competence leads to their weak idea finding and problem solving. As a result, Creative Problem Solving (CPS) ability necessarily has to be developed in learning mathematics. There are six aspects of CPS competence as parts of thinking process stages, namely: objective finding, fact finding, problem finding, idea finding, solution finding, and acceptance finding. In this case, to learn mathematics is about to explore the ability to present and to solve the problems emerged by the students themselves, applying Situation-Based Learning (SBL). This research used quasi-experimental design with experimented and controlled groups. The experimented group was examined using SBL learning while the controlled one using conventional learning. Based on the research result, it can be concluded that the enhancement of students’ mathematical CPS ability who were taught under SBL learning is higher than those who were taught under conventional learning. Fact finding is the highest aspect of the students’ mathematical CPS ability, and the lowest aspect is acceptance finding.

Keywords: Mathematical situation, Mathematical problems, Mathematical creative problem solving, Situation-based learning