REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

1. PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN MATHEMATICS- A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING STUDENTS’

CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE. ( Macmath, Wallace, and Chi 2009)

The research examined PBL approach on medical schools. Its key features includes:

A. Use of collaborative small group work

B. Student Centered Approach

C. Teacher as facilitators

D. Use of Real life problems

A. Problem based learning in medical field

RESEARCH SAMPLES : COLLEGE MEDICAL STUDENTS

RESEARCH PROCESS:

1. Students are given realistic patient symptoms

2. The teacher expects them to research possible diagnoses and courses of treatment.

3. If unsuccessful diagnosis, the teacher notes their assessment but does not provides solution.

4. Their research question in : IT PROBLEM BASED LEARNING IN CLASSROOM SETTIN PRESENTS

MORE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE, REQUIRING TEACHERS TO SHIFT FROM DIRECT INSTRUCTION TO
SUPPORT STUDENTS?

CONCLUSION: Studies have shown that teachers have difficulty in :

A. Directing students

B. Determining students progression

C. Correcting Students Errors

RECOMENDATION: Teachers must develop an appropriate “HOOK” … a real life problem that does not
have a single or pre-determined solution..

Another experiment was made by the researchers but on the CLASSROOM SETTING.

B. Problem Based learning in Elementary Education

Problem: A teacher imposed a problem that focused on multiplication and percentages. They must
develop a 80 game schedule. From 80 games, 30% have to be in the same division, 15% from the
north east division, 15% from the south east division, and the remaining 40% from the western
conference.

Student’s Assessment in the Problem:

1. Students tried dividing 80 by 30. But it does not make sense.

2. Students tried calculating its decimal.. 30 / 80 = 0.375 and it is also wrong.

3. Since 25% is the same as dividing by 4, it means that 30% of 80 is greater than 20.

CONCLUSION: Although students understand that 30% represents less than a whole, they did not
have a conceptual understanding of multiplication.
2. THE IMPORTANCE OF PROBLEM SOLVING IN MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM (Ayaz, 2007)

The study focuses on problem solving and new studies for problem solving education.

SPECIFIC GOALS OF PROBLEM SOLVING IN MATHEMATICS.

a. Improve students willingness to try problems and improve perseverance when solving problems.

b. Improve students self concepts with respect to the abilities to solve problems.

c. Make students aware of problem solving strategies.

d. Make students approach problem in a more systematic manner

e. Make students solve problems in different solutions.

f. Improve students abilities to select appropriate solution strategies.

g. Improve students abilities to implement solution strategies accurately.

h. Improve students abilities to get more correct answers to problems.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

1. How problem solving is to be affected from new developments in Mathematics Education?

2. What would be the effects of new teaching approaches to students learning in problem solving
education?

STRATEGIES IN PROBLEM SOLVING:

Problem solving is a mathematical process. A problem is a task for which:

1. The person confronting it wants or needs to find a solution.

2. The person has no readily available procedure for finding the solution.

3. The person must make an attempt to find a solution.

SOLUTION is defined as the whole process of solving a problem, including the method of obtaining an
answer and the answer itself. “method + answer = solution”.

George Polya enunciated four basic steps to solve problems:

1. Understand and explore the problem.

2. Find a strategy

3. Use the strategy to solve the problem.

4. Look back and reflect on the solution.

It is the cased that students works backwards or forwards between or across the steps. During the
solution process, people may find that they must look back at the original question. We can ask these
questions:

1. What is the unknown?

2. What are the data?

3. What is the condition?

Polya’s second stage suggest that it is fairly simple matter to think an appropriate strategy. However,
further information is needed by the student such that a strategy might produce. The student can ask
himself:

1. Do I know a related problem?

2. Is this problem familiar having the similar unknowns?

Polya’s third stage means that the student must solve the problem of the choice of plan of attack. The
teacher must

1. Keep track of student’s way of solving.

2. Show them a wrong solution then ask them if it is right or wrong, then attack the problem
with a right solution.

3. Show that the problem solving steps is correct, prove in theory that the problem solving steps
is correct, and prove in conceptual that the problem solving steps is correct.

4. Look back and find another solution which is shorter.

For students

1. Check the result

2. Check the argument

3. Derive the results differently

4. See it at a glance

Generalizing a Problem - MEANS CREATING A PROBLEM THAT HAS THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM AS A
SPECIAL CASE. When we generalizing a problem, we take the formula that consists some methods of
real problem solving.

Extending a Problem - MEANS THERE MUST BE A VERIFICATION OF YOUR SOLUTION. There must be a
proof.

The Mathematics Curriculum must be focused on

A. Developing skills and the ability to apply these skills to unfamiliar situations.

B. Gathering, organizing, interpreting, and communicating information.

C. Formulating key questions, analyzing and conceptualizing problems.

D. Defining problems and goals.

E. Discovering patterns and similarities in the data.

F. Experimenting and transferring skills and strategies to new situation.

CONCLUSION: Problem Solving must be the focus of mathematics teaching because it encompasses
skills and functions which are an important part of everyday life.
3. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBLEM BASED LEARNING APPROACH BASED ON MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCES IN TERMS OF STUDENT’S ACHIEVEMENT, MATHEMATICAL CONNECTION ABILITY,
AND SELF-ESTEEM.

(Kartikasari and Widjajanti 2017)

AIM OF THE STUDY: To explore the effectiveness of learning approach using problem-based learning
based on multiple intelligences in developing student’s achievement, mathematical connection ability,
and self-esteem.

RESEARCH SAMPLES: 30 grade 10 students of MIA III MAN Yogyakarta III.

RESEARCH PROCESS: ( SUMMARY)

1. Learning materials used consists of trigonometry and geometry.

2. A achievement test made of 44 multiple choice questions, 24 questions from trigonometry

and 20 questions from gelem ometry.

3. The researchers designed a mathematical connection test and self-esteem questionnaire that
consists of 7 essay questions on mathematical connection test and 30 items of self esteem
questionnaire.

ANALYSIS: The learning approach is said to be effective if the proportion of students who achieved a
minimum score of high category on the results of both mathematical connection test and self-esteem
questionnaire were greater than or equal to 70%.

STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF DATA: By hypothesis testing at 5% level of significance, it concluded that

learning approach using problem-based learning on multiple intelligences was effective in terms of
student’s achievement, mathematical connection ability, and self-esteem. Researchers used
descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages.

RESEARH PROCESS ( DETAILED)

Problem based learning using approach based on Gardner’s multiple intelligences used learning kits,
lesson plans and worksheets. The following are the steps in implementing Gardner’s multiple
intelligences test using PBL APPROACH.

1. Teacher orient students to the problems in diverse contexts to encourage all students actively
involved in learning process.

2. Teachers organize students to learn.

3. Students identify the problems and analyze the data individually or in a heterogeneous group.

4. The students presented the results in different ways.

5. The teacher and the student are evaluate the problem solving process.
4. PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING AND MATHEMATICS: POSSIBLE SYNERGICAL ACTIONS

(Cazzola 2008)

RESEARCH: To create different programs that will enhance problem based learning in a center called
“mathematika” which is also “Interuniversity Research Center for the Communication and Informal
Learning of Mathematics”.

Problem-Based Learning is a constructivist leaner-centered instructional approach based on the

analysis, resolution, and discussion of a given problem. Typically a PBL session follow these steps:

1. Pupils are given a problem.

2. Pupils discuss the problem and/or work on the problem in small groups, collecting information
useful to solve the problem.

3. All the pupils gather together to compare findings and/or discuss conclusions; new problems could
arise from this discussion

4. Pupils go back to work on the new problems, and the cycle starts again.

Activities made by matematika:

1. Web Based Game Contests such as patterns ( Topics includes modular arithmetic, combinatorics,
area, volume, probability, and topology.)

2. Problem Based Mathematical Laboratories - Mathematical Laboratory such as actual activities that
promotes the following topics : (Cryptography, polyhedra, mathematical modelling, topology,
optimization, and 4 dimensional geometry.)

3. Interactive Exhibitions - Creating museum that promotes mathematics.