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This study aims to analyse the difficulties experienced by students in learning about flat-sided three-dimensional shapes. The research method employed is descriptive with a qualitative approach. The data collected in this study were obtained from students’ difficulty tests and interview results. The research subjects were Year 8 pupils at SMP Negeri 2 Ponelo Kepulauan in the 2024/2025 academic year. The interviews were conducted by selecting three questions related to difficulties in learning mathematics, with one student chosen as a respondent to be interviewed on 26 August 2025. The indicators used to assess students’ learning difficulties were: facts, principles, concepts, and operations. The research results indicate that students with the lowest marks demonstrated limitations in mastering all the indicators measured when solving mathematics problems on the topic of flat-sided three-dimensional shapes. During the interview, students with the lowest marks experienced difficulties despite the use of effective teaching methods. This was because they paid insufficient attention to what the teacher was explaining.

The purpose of this study is to determine how the use of SOGAM puzzle media in mathematics can improve students' basic counting skills at the elementary school level, especially for addition and subtraction materials in grade 1. This study adopted a descriptive qualitative approach involving 27 grade 1 students of MI NU Hidayatul Mustafidin as research subjects. Data collection was carried out through observation and documentation during learning activities. The research findings showed that students appeared inactive in the learning process and faced difficulties in understanding the concept of addition and subtraction before the introduction of SOGAM puzzle media in mathematics. After the implementation of SOGAM puzzle media in mathematics, students' counting skills improved, as shown by increased accuracy in answering questions, speed in calculating, and better understanding of concepts. In addition, students became more active, enthusiastic, and motivated during learning. SOGAM puzzle media in mathematics can create a fun and interactive learning environment by incorporating game elements in the learning process. Thus, the use of SOGAM puzzle media in mathematics is proven to be effective in improving students' basic counting skills in addition and subtraction materials in elementary schools.

This study analyzes junior high school students' errors in solving mathematics problems involving integers. This study was conducted through a systematic literature review of 12 related research articles published between 2021 and 2026. The analysis shows that students' errors in integers include contextual, procedural, and technical (calculation) errors. The most common conceptualization errors were found in the understanding of positive and negative signs and the rules for mixed operations. The main causes of errors are a lack of in-depth conceptual understanding, the habit of memorizing without understanding, and a lack of practice using concrete media. Internal factors such as learning motivation and external factors such as learning methods and media also contribute. This study recommends that the mathematics learning process emphasize meaningful conceptual understanding, the use of concrete media, and learning strategies that engage students' mathematical connection skills. Thus, difficulties in learning integers can be minimized sustainably.

Many students still face difficulties in understanding statistics because inaccurate preconceptions often develop into misconceptions. This condition is important to study since misconceptions can hinder the mathematics learning process and reduce the quality of students’ conceptual understanding. This study aims to analyze in depth how preconceptions affect the emergence of misconceptions among senior high school students in learning statistics. The research employed a qualitative descriptive method with a case study approach, involving three tenth-grade students from State Senior High School 1 Purwosari who were selected through purposive sampling based on high, medium, and low achievement categories. Data were collected through diagnostic tests in the form of essay questions to reveal students’ preconceptions and in-depth interviews to explore their reasoning, then analyzed descriptively. The findings show that students with accurate preconceptions did not experience misconceptions, students with partially correct preconceptions developed classificational, theoretical, and correlational misconceptions, while students with incorrect preconceptions experienced more complex misconceptions, such as considering the median as the largest value and failing to relate changes in data to the properties of the mean, median, and mode. The study concludes that inaccurate preconceptions directly contribute to the emergence of various forms of misconceptions. The implication is that teachers need to detect, identify, and correct students’ preconceptions from the beginning of the learning process so that misconceptions can be minimized and students’ understanding of statistics can develop more comprehensively.

Mathematics is a core subject that develops critical thinking skills; however, many third to fifth-grade elementary school students face difficulties with conventional teaching methods that tend to be uniform and less adaptive. This study aims to develop and implement a mobile-based educational game, "Ethno Run," which integrates the Bayesian Knowledge Tracing (BKT) algorithm to provide an adaptive learning experience. The method used is Research and Development (R&D) with the Multimedia Development Life Cycle (MDLC) framework. The system uses BKT to track students' mastery in real-time by analyzing their responses to pre-tests and exercises within the game, which then adjusts the difficulty level and focuses the post-test on areas identified as weak, such as arithmetic operations and geometry. The findings show that this adaptive approach significantly improves learning outcomes, with the average score increasing from 44.33 on the pre-test to 85.33 on the post-test among 30 students. This study concludes that the integration of Artificial Intelligence through BKT effectively personalizes learning, enhances student motivation, and provides data-driven insights for teachers regarding students' progress. The implication of this research is that adaptive game-based learning serves as a feasible interactive solution to bridge the gap in conventional basic mathematics education.

Dyscalculia is a difficulty in learning mathematics that is commonly experienced by elementary school students, especially in multiplication materials. Students with dyscalculia experience obstacles in understanding the concept of numbers and calculation operations, which has an impact on low learning outcomes and students' confidence in mathematics learning. This study aims to describe the difficulties of learning multiplication in dyscalculia students in grade III of MI Nurul Falah 3, as well as identify learning efforts that can help overcome these difficulties. This study used a qualitative approach with a case study design on two students who were identified as having dyscalculia. Data collection techniques include observation, diagnostic assessment, interviews with students and teachers, and analysis of learning outcomes. The results showed that students had difficulty recognizing number symbols, often flipped numbers, and were not able to complete simple multiplication independently. Concrete learning using the "Multiplication Smart Wallet" media has been proven to help students understand the concept of multiplication, increase learning motivation, and reduce anxiety about mathematics. Thus, the use of concrete media is considered effective in supporting more inclusive mathematics learning for dyscalculia students.

This study aims to explore the integration of financial literacy into context-based mathematics education at the elementary school level by emphasizing the use of local knowledge in learning activities. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, this research investigates the experiences and perceptions of students and teachers involved in mathematics learning that connects mathematical concepts with real-life financial situations, such as budgeting, saving, and personal financial management. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations, and documentation analysis to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the learning process and its outcomes. The findings indicate that integrating financial literacy into context-based mathematics learning enhances the relevance of mathematical content and facilitates students’ conceptual understanding. Students reported increased interest and engagement in mathematics lessons, as well as greater confidence in applying mathematical skills to manage personal finances. The use of familiar financial contexts enabled students to perceive mathematics as meaningful and applicable to their daily lives. Teachers identified limited instructional time and difficulties in explaining abstract concepts as key obstacles in the implementation process. Overall, the results suggest that context-based mathematics learning integrated with financial literacy has strong potential to improve students’ mathematical understanding and financial awareness while fostering practical life skills. Nevertheless, effective implementation requires careful instructional planning, adequate time allocation, and appropriate pedagogical strategies to address complex financial concepts. This study contributes to the growing body of research on contextualized mathematics education by highlighting the importance of integrating local context and financial literacy to enhance the quality and relevance of elementary mathematics education.

This research aims to improve the mathematics learning outcomes of Grade VII B students at SMP Darul Ulum 5 Rebalas through the implementation of Madurese language-based ethnomathematics. The study is motivated by the students' difficulties in understanding mathematical concepts delivered in formal Indonesian, as their daily communication relies on the specific Madurese dialect of Rebalas Village. This study employs the Classroom Action Research (CAR) method using the Kemmis and McTaggart model, conducted in two cycles. Each cycle consists of planning, action, observation, and reflection stages. The subjects of this research were 28 students from class VII B. The research instruments included test instruments in the form of group Student Worksheets (LKPD) and observation sheets for both teacher and student activities. The material focused on the topic of Lines and Angles. The results indicated an improvement in student learning outcomes from Cycle I to Cycle II. In Cycle I, the average group score was 80.2, which increased to 88 in Cycle II. Observations of student activities also showed a shift from passive participation in Cycle I to active and enthusiastic engagement in Cycle II. Furthermore, teacher observations showed significant improvement; initial issues regarding time management and excessive workloads were resolved, resulting in more enthusiastic and punctual teaching delivery. These findings demonstrate that the use of Madurese-based ethnomathematics helps students grasp mathematical terms more easily, increases discussion participation, and creates a more comfortable and interactive classroom atmosphere, thereby leading to improved learning outcomes.

Measurement learning is a fundamental and applicable mathematical topic in everyday life, but it often causes learning difficulties for students, especially in understanding the meaning of units, relationships between quantities, and the conceptual measurement process. These difficulties are not only caused by students' limited cognitive abilities, but also by learning designs that do not fully facilitate social interaction and student learning development. This study aims to reconstruct the contextual didactic design in measurement learning by reviewing the role of social interaction and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) in the student learning process. This study uses a qualitative approach with the type of Didactic Design Research (DDR). The research stages include analysis of the initial didactic situation to identify student learning barriers, implementation of contextual didactic design in measurement learning, and retrospective analysis of student responses as a basis for reconstructing the didactic design. Data were collected through learning observations, analysis of student work results, interviews, and learning documentation. Data analysis was carried out qualitatively by examining social interaction patterns, forms of scaffolding, and student movements in the Zone of Proximal Development. The results of this study indicate that understanding of measurement concepts develops through social interactions between students and between students and teachers within a meaningful learning context. Social interactions and scaffolding provided gradually can encourage students to move from actual abilities to potential abilities within the Zone of Proximal Development. Retrospective analysis indicates that reconstruction of the didactic design is necessary to refine the learning context, activity sequence, and scaffolding strategies to better align with students' learning characteristics. The reconstruction of the didactic design can reduce learning barriers and improve the quality of students' conceptual understanding in measurement learning. This research provides theoretical contributions to the study of social constructivism-based mathematics education and provides practical implications for teachers in designing measurement learning that is more responsive to social interactions and student learning development.

Measurement is a fundamental domain of mathematics that connects formal mathematical concepts with everyday experiences. Despite its practical relevance, students often experience persistent difficulties in understanding measurement conceptually, tending to approach it as a procedural activity rather than as a process of reasoning about quantities, units, and comparisons. These challenges indicate that learning measurement is influenced not only by individual cognitive factors but also by the social dynamics that shape classroom learning environments. This study aims to examine classroom social dynamics in learning measurement by providing empirical evidence from contextual learning situations. This study employed a qualitative research approach to explore how social interaction, scaffolding, and participation mediate students’ understanding of measurement in contextual learning environments. Data were collected through classroom observations, video recordings of learning activities, analysis of students’ written work, and interviews with selected students and the teacher. Contextual measurement tasks were designed to encourage collaboration, dialogue, and justification, enabling the examination of student–student and teacher–student interactions as they naturally occurred in the classroom. Data analysis was conducted iteratively to identify patterns of interaction, forms of scaffolding, and students’ learning progression within the Zone of Proximal Development. The findings reveal that students initially engaged with measurement tasks in a predominantly procedural manner, with limited conceptual understanding and minimal peer interaction. After the implementation of contextual learning situations, classroom social dynamics changed substantially. Students became more actively involved in discussion, collaborative problem-solving, and collective meaning-making. Peer interaction supported the articulation and refinement of students’ reasoning, while teacher scaffolding guided learning by extending students’ thinking without providing direct solutions. These social processes facilitated students’ movement from their actual level of understanding toward higher levels of conceptual competence within the Zone of Proximal Development. The study further shows that contextual learning tasks alone are insufficient to promote meaningful understanding unless they are supported by productive social interaction and adaptive scaffolding. Conceptual understanding of measurement emerged through socially mediated processes rather than through task completion alone. This study contributes to mathematics education research by emphasizing the central role of classroom social dynamics in contextual learning and by offering insights into how interaction and scaffolding can be orchestrated to support students’ conceptual understanding of measurement.

This study aims to identify various aspects that pose obstacles or difficulties for students in learning Mechanics. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach that focuses on describing the types of difficulties students encounter in solving mechanics problems. The research subjects were first-semester students of the Science Education Study Program at KH. Mukhtar Syafaat University (UIMSYA) Blokagung Banyuwangi who were taking Basic Physics courses on Mechanics material. Data collection was carried out through diagnostic tests and interviews with students. The instruments used were diagnostic tests and interview guidelines. The location of students' learning difficultdiies was analyzed based on the errors that appeared in the completion of the diagnostic test. The results showed that the main difficulty students had in learning mechanics was in mastering basic mathematical skills, particularly in differential and integral material. Therefore, lecturers or teachers need to design and develop more appropriate learning strategies so that students' problem-solving skills can improve.

Real Analysis is a fundamental course in mathematics education characterized by its deductive and axiomatic structure, which requires logical, systematic, and conceptual understanding. However, many studies have shown that students often face difficulties in grasping abstract concepts and constructing mathematical proofs deductively. Lestari (2015) found that most students were only able to conduct proofs inductively, while their deductive proof skills remained low due to weak prerequisite knowledge and lack of formal reasoning practice. Meanwhile, Darmadi, Sanusi, and Rifai (2024) explained that students’ difficulties in understanding formal definitions and the structure of real numbers indicate the need for a learning approach that emphasizes conceptual comprehension. This article employs a literature review approach to analyze the application of conceptual approaches in helping beginners understand Real Analysis. The results show that a conceptual approach enhances students’ understanding of the meaning behind mathematical symbols and procedures, helps them build connections among concepts such as limits, continuity, and the real number system, and gradually develops their deductive reasoning skills. Therefore, applying a conceptual approach in Real Analysis learning is an essential strategy to help students achieve deep, logical, and meaningful understanding.

This study is a literature review aimed at examining in depth the concepts, characteristics, learning difficulties, and applications of quadratic functions in secondary mathematics education. The research employs a qualitative approach by analyzing ten articles published between 2019 and 2025 from both national and international journals. The findings indicate that the quadratic function is a fundamental topic in the mathematics curriculum, playing a crucial role in developing higher-order mathematical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and problem-solving. It also serves as a foundation for understanding more advanced topics such as calculus, analytic geometry, and optimization. However, various studies have found that students continue to face significant learning difficulties, including misconceptions related to the shape of the parabola graph, understanding the discriminant value, and connecting algebraic forms to real-world contexts. To address these issues, research suggests that technology-assisted learning—particularly through interactive software such as GeoGebra—has proven effective in enhancing conceptual understanding, motivation, and student engagement. Therefore, this review highlights the importance of strengthening conceptual understanding, applying contextual learning approaches, and integrating digital technology as innovative strategies for teaching quadratic functions at the secondary education level.

Real analysis is one of the main branches of mathematics that serves as a fundamental foundation for the development of science and technology. This study emphasizes the understanding of basic concepts such as real numbers, limits, continuity, the principle of mathematical induction, as well as deductive and axiomatic approaches as a strong framework for mathematical proofs. This research employs the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method by examining articles and journals related to both the theoretical aspects and the implementation of real analysis in solving mathematical problems. The findings indicate that the application of Polya’s method, visualization through demonstration, and the use of modern technology such as augmented reality (AR) can enhance the effectiveness of real analysis learning. These approaches help students connect abstract concepts with real applications, thereby strengthening logical, systematic, critical, and rigorous thinking skills. However, several learning difficulties are also identified, including the complexity of the material, weak learning habits, social influences, and inappropriate teaching strategies. Therefore, more applicative, interactive, and contextual learning strategies are needed to support the achievement of learning objectives. The conclusion of this review highlights that the integration of theoretical understanding, problem-solving methods, and innovative technology is a strategic step to improve students’ thinking quality in real analysis courses. Thus, real analysis is not only positioned as a theoretical subject but also as a medium for developing problem-solving abilities and higher-order thinking skills that are relevant to both academic needs and real-world applications.

In teaching mathematics subjects, a teacher must be competent in designing innovative learning materials so that they can develop students' potential, which is expected to affect their learning outcomes and which is one of the influencing factors in student success in mathematics lessons is learning style. This study applies a descriptive method. The purpose is to describe the form of learning difficulties experienced by grade VIII students at MTs SA Al Murtadho Kedungwaru in learning mathematics on phytagoras theorem material referring to aspects of each student's learning style. In determining a subject in a study, it is carried out using the purpose sampling technique. There are three learning styles that will be studied further in this study, namely visual, auditorial, and kinesthetic learning styles. The research subjects of six students were taken representatives from a total of 34 students, in each class two representatives will be taken for those who have a visual learning style, two students also with an auditorial learning style, and two more students with a kinesthetic learning style. The techniques used to obtain the necessary data will be distributed questionnaires, test questions, interviews with students, and documentary evidence. This study applies two ways by comparing data from observation results with interview results and will also compare a person's assessment with various points of view with other people's perspectives. The results found in the study stated that there are difficulties in students including difficulties in understanding concepts, problems, and answering questions related to the Pythagorean theorem. So teachers need to find a learning style that is suitable for each student in order to help students understand the material so that students can solve the questions given appropriately.

Learning is a dynamic process involving interactions between students, educators, and learning resources in an environment designed to achieve a deep understanding of the material. One of the challenges often faced in education is learning difficulties, especially in subjects considered difficult such as Mathematics and English. Additional tutoring programs outside of class hours are a solution to help students overcome the academic difficulties they face. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a tutoring program in addressing learning difficulties in Kedondong District, with a focus on Mathematics and English. This program involves students experiencing difficulty understanding the subject matter and provides intensive guidance using an interactive approach and the use of technology-based learning media, such as multimedia and educational quizzes, which make learning more engaging. The evaluation results show a significant increase in student understanding of the material, as well as positive changes in student motivation, independence, and self-confidence. This program not only successfully improves academic understanding but also fosters a higher enthusiasm for learning in students. Despite challenges, such as limited resources and differences in student understanding levels, this program is able to create a conducive learning environment. Therefore, it is hoped that this program can be replicated in other regions to improve the quality of education in a sustainable manner, by involving various parties, such as the government, educational institutions, and the community.

This study aims to describe the mathematical literacy skills of vocational high school students in solving statistics problems with the help of Microsoft Excel based on digital literacy levels, which are grouped into high, medium, and low. The background of this study is based on the importance of mathematical literacy in dealing with everyday problems and the demands of the world of work, as well as the increasing need for digital literacy mastery in the information technology era. Both are essential competencies that support each other, especially in technology-based mathematics learning. The research approach used is descriptive qualitative with a purposive sampling technique, where the selection of subjects is based on the results of the digital literacy questionnaire, equivalence of mathematics scores, and adequate communication skills to support the interview process. The research instruments include a digital literacy questionnaire, a mathematical literacy test in the form of descriptive questions completed using Microsoft Excel, and interview guidelines that have been validated by experts. The data collection procedure was carried out through tests and in-depth interviews, while data analysis included the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of the study indicate differences in students' mathematical literacy skills based on their digital literacy levels. Students with high digital literacy are able to master mathematical literacy indicators well, including communication, mathematization, problem-solving strategies, and reasoning and argumentation. They can optimally utilize Microsoft Excel features to present data, perform calculations, and draw logical conclusions. Students with moderate digital literacy demonstrate fairly good mastery, but still experience difficulties in aspects of problem-solving strategies and in-depth reasoning. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that digital literacy plays a crucial role in supporting students' mathematical literacy abilities.  

This study aims to describe students' critical thinking skills in solving social arithmetic problems based on the Polya stages and FRISCO indicators. The research subjects consisted of three students in grade VIII R-5 MTs Nurul Jadid who were purposively selected to represent the high, medium, and low ability categories out of a total of 21 students. The research method used was a descriptive qualitative approach with instruments in the form of two social arithmetic description questions and semi-structured interview guidelines. Data analysis was carried out by referring to the four stages of problem solving according to Polya (understanding the problem, planning the solution, executing the plan, and re-examination) as well as the six FRISCO critical thinking indicators (Focus, Reason, Inference, Situation, Clarity, Overview). The results of the study showed that students with high abilities were able to solve problems systematically through all stages of Polya and met almost all FRISCO indicators, especially in the aspects of Focus, Reason, and Clarity. Students with moderate ability show sufficient understanding but are inconsistent in planning and implementing solutions, and experience difficulties in the Reason, Situation, and Overview indicators. Students with low abilities experience obstacles from the early stages of understanding problems and do not show significant indicators of critical thinking. These findings indicate that the Polya stage and the FRISCO indicator can be used in a complementary manner to identify and analyze students' critical thinking skills in solving contextual math problems. The implication of this study is the need for a learning strategy that emphasizes strengthening the stages of problem solving and developing explicit critical thinking indicators in the mathematics learning process. This research also opens up opportunities for the development of more structured diagnostic instruments in measuring students' individual critical thinking skills.

Mathematics learning in Elementary School is very important to form logical, systematic, and critical thinking skills. Mathematics learning is closely related to numeracy literacy. At the elementary school level, especially grade 1, literacy and numeracy problems are increasingly visible when students are faced with mathematical story problems. In grade 1 of SDN 1 Pedawang, the results of daily tests and end-of-semester tests show that students' ability to solve story problems is still low. This study aims to analyze the difficulties of grade 1 students at SDN 1 Pedawang in understanding mathematical story problems due to low literacy and numeracy skills. This study uses a qualitative descriptive research type. The population of grade 1 students at SDN 1 Pedawang is 14 students, consisting of 9 female students and 5 male students. The subjects used were 2 students to be analyzed using purposive sampling techniques because they showed striking difficulties in understanding story problems based on observation results and low test scores. Data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques using the Miles and Huberman model which includes data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of the study showed that students had difficulty in understanding mathematical story problems on five indicators according to Newman's theory, namely reading, understanding, transformation, process skills, and writing answers. The conclusion of this study shows that low literacy and numeracy of students are the main factors in the difficulty of understanding mathematical story problems.

This research aims to evaluate the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum in the learning process at MAN 1 Kota Padang, specifically focusing on the preliminary, core, and closing stages. The method used is a descriptive qualitative approach with data collection techniques through classroom observations, interviews with mathematics teachers in grades X and XI, and document analysis of teaching modules. Observation results show high effectiveness levels across all learning stages: preliminary activities reached 100% (grade X) and 80% (grade XI), core activities reached 85.71% (grade X) and 93.33% (grade XI), and closing activities reached 81.81% in both classes. The findings indicate that teachers have implemented learning stages in accordance with the characteristics of the Merdeka Curriculum through context-based learning and differentiated approaches. Learning takes place actively and is relevant to students' lives, although there are obstacles such as limited technology resources and difficulties faced by teachers in independently developing modules. Overall, the implementation of learning is considered effective in increasing student participation and strengthening character values. This study shows that the Merdeka Curriculum has great potential in improving the quality of education in madrasah with continuous support through training and adequate facility provision.