Rahayu Setyawati, Purwanto Purwanto, Sukoriyanto Sukoriyanto
Mathematical connection is one of the competencies in NCTM that students must have. Mathematical connections can help students understand material and concepts, and solve math problems. However, mathematical connection errors are still made by many students when solving polyhedron problems. The purpose of this study was to describe students' mathematical connection errors in solving polyhedron problems. This research method is descriptive qualitative. The research subjects were 20 8th grade students of SMP Negeri 1 Sulang, Rembang, Central Java, Indonesia. Data collection was obtained based on the results of mathematical connection tests and interviews. The test consisted of 2 questions. The test results were analyzed using 3 types of connections in solving mathematical problems, namely modeling connections, concept connections, and procedural connections. The results of data analysis show that 90% of the students still experienced mathematical connection errors. In problem 1, the modeling connection error that the students made was not writing down completely the information which was known and questioned. The concept connection error that students made was being unable to relate the problem of pyramid volume and cube volume concepts. The students made errors in applying the formula as well. The procedure connection errors that the students made were in carrying out the completion steps, in applying mathematical operations, and in the calculation. Meanwhile in problem 2, the modeling connection error that the students made was not writing down the known information. The concept connection error that students made was being unable to relate among concepts to solve the problem. The students made errors in applying the formula as well. The procedure connection errors that the students made were in carrying out the completion steps incorrectly and incompletely. Errors in modeling connections were caused by the students who did not comprehend the given problem. Concept connection errors were caused by students who were not able to relate the problem to mathematical concepts, the link between concepts, and be less careful in applying formulas. Furthermore, the procedure connection errors were because of students' confusion in linking concepts which resulted in incorrect and incomplete procedures applied. © 2023 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.
Mathematics Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jalan Semarang No. 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia