Development of Organizing Mathematics Learning Based on Constructivist Theory to Promote Problem Solving Skill on Inequality for Grade 9 Students

Abstract

           Organizing for learning based on the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality is a model of organizing activities that encourage students to think analytically, think synthetically, discuss, create the body of knowledge and summarize the body of knowledge by themselves, get skills of problem solving and searching for knowledge, love learning, develop themselves continuously, get working skills and be able to work with other people. The purposes of this research were 1) to develop organizing mathematics learning based on the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students to meet the efficiency criterion of 75/75; 2) to find the effectiveness index of organizing mathematics learning based on the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students; 3) to compare the student’s learning achievement in mathematics derived from using the mathematics learning activities organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students and the traditional teaching model; 4) to compare the ability to solve mathematical problems of students who had learned with the mathematics learning activities organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students and the traditional teaching model; 5) to study the students’ satisfaction with the mathematics learning activities organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students. The sample used in the study consisted of 70 grade 9 students from 2 classes of Mattayomwanonniwat School under the Secondary Educational Service Area Office 23 in the first semester of the academic year 2017, obtained through cluster random sampling. The instruments used in the study were (1) 12 plans of organizing  learning activities in mathematics based on the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality; (2) a 4-choice mathematics learning achievement test containing 30 items on inequality for grade 9, with discrimination (B) ranging from 0.20 to 1.00, and the total reliability (r_tt) of 0.91; 3) a 5-item subjective test on student’s ability to solve mathematical problems on inequality, with discrimination (B) ranging from 0.20 to 1.00 and the total reliability (r_tt) of 0.91; (4) a student’s satisfaction questionnaire inquiring the student’s satisfaction with the model of organizing learning on inequality based on the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill, with 15 items and having the IOC ranging from 0.67 to 1.00. The statistics used in the analysis of data were percentage, the mean, standard deviation and t-test (independent samples).

           The results of the research were as follows:

           1. The learning activities organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students had the efficiency of 83.83/82.31 which met the preset  criterion.

           2. The effectiveness index of the learning activities in mathematics organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students was 0.7209, representing 72.09 percent.

           3. The learning achievement of the students who studied by using the learning activities in mathematics organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students was higher than the learning achievement of the students who studied by using the learning activities of the traditional teaching model, with statistical significance at the .05 level.

            4. The ability to solve mathematical problems of the students who studied by using the learning activities in mathematics organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students was higher than that of the students who studied by the traditional teaching model, with statistical significance at the .05 level.

             5. The students who studied by using the learning activities in mathematics organized according to the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill on inequality for grade 9 students had their satisfaction in the high level.

           In conclusion, the students who learned by using the organizing of learning based on the constructivist theory to promote problem solving skill had higher learning achievement development and ability of solving mathematical problems than the students who learned with the traditional teaching model. The students were satisfied with their learning in the high level. Therefore teachers should implement this model of organizing learning and teaching to increase student’s higher learning efficiency.