THE INFLUENCE OF CONTEXTUAL APPROACHES IN IMPROVING STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING OF MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS
Abstract
This study examined the effect of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) on students’ mathematical conceptual understanding of Systems of Linear Equations in Two Variables (SPLDV). The study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group. The participants were 46 eighth-grade students of SMP Negeri 1 Bonepantai, consisting of 23 students from Class VIII-1 as the experimental group and 23 students from Class VIII-2 as the control group. The two classes were selected as intact classes, and only students who completed the required research sequence, including the pretest and posttest, were included in the final analysis. The experimental group received CTL-based instruction, whereas the control group received conventional instruction. Data were collected using an essay test measuring mathematical conceptual understanding based on four indicators. The initial test consisted of seven items; following empirical validity testing, two invalid items were excluded, resulting in five valid items used in the analysis. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with the pretest score as the covariate and the posttest score as the dependent variable. The ANCOVA results showed a statistically significant difference in posttest conceptual-understanding scores between the two groups after controlling for pretest scores, F(1, 43) = 39.91, p < .001, with a partial eta squared of 0.481. These findings provide empirical evidence concerning the relationship between CTL-based instruction and students’ mathematical conceptual understanding in SPLDV within the studied classroom context.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh penerapan pendekatan pembelajaran kontekstual terhadap pemahaman konsep matematika siswa, khususnya pada materi Sistem Persamaan Linear Dua Variabel di kelas VIII-1 dan VIII-2 SMP Negeri 1 Bonepantai. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode eksperimen kuantitatif dengan desain pretest-posttest control group. Populasi penelitian mencakup seluruh siswa kelas delapan, dan dua kelas dipilih secara acak menggunakan cluster random sampling. Kelas eksperimen menerima pembelajaran berbasis kontekstual, sedangkan kelas kontrol diajarkan menggunakan metode konvensional. Data dikumpulkan melalui tes berbasis uraian yang mengukur pemahaman konsep melalui empat indikator: menyatakan ulang konsep, menyajikan konsep secara matematis, menggunakan prosedur yang sesuai, dan menerapkan konsep dalam pemecahan masalah. Hasil analisis deskriptif dan inferensial, termasuk uji ANCOVA, mengungkapkan bahwa kelompok eksperimen mencapai skor rata-rata posttest yang lebih tinggi (52.65) dibandingkan dengan kelompok kontrol (45.65). Hasil uji-F (F* = 39,91 > Ftabel = 4,07) menunjukkan pengaruh yang signifikan dari pendekatan kontekstual terhadap pemahaman konsep siswa. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa pengajaran kontekstual, yang menghubungkan konsep matematika dengan situasi kehidupan nyata, berkaitan dengan perbedaan skor pemahaman konsep siswa dalam kondisi penelitian ini.
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