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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.

This study aims to analyze the learning difficulties experienced by fifth-grade students at Yayasan Al-Hidayah and identify innovative solutions in the learning process. The research uses a descriptive quantitative method with data collected through questionnaires. The results indicate that students still face challenges in understanding the material, primarily due to the fast pace of the teacher's explanations, a lack of supporting media and teaching aids, and limited learning facilities. The most difficult subjects for students to understand are Mathematics, followed by English and Science. Despite these challenges, parental involvement in supporting the learning process is relatively good, and students tend to prefer interactive learning, such as educational games, group discussions, experiments, and the use of digital media. Based on these findings, there is a need for innovation in learning, focusing on technology-based learning, the use of more varied teaching aids, and the application of creative strategies to enhance motivation, understanding, and student learning outcomes. Such innovations are expected to provide more engaging and effective learning experiences for students, addressing the difficulties they encounter in learning.

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.    

This study aims to analyze students' difficulties in understanding algebraic concepts in the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum. This type of research uses a descriptive research method with a qualitative approach. Data collection techniques include interviews, questionnaires, and three written tests. Based on the results of interviews and questionnaires conducted by teachers with the school principal and mathematics teachers, the school has implemented the Merdeka Curriculum despite limitations in resources. The Merdeka Curriculum contributes to teachers in terms of teaching modules and freedom in creativity in learning, although training is still needed. The results of the student questionnaire indicate that the majority of students have difficulty understanding algebra, especially in identifying variables, but the majority of students feel that classroom learning is interactive and enjoyable. Most students feel helped by the example questions provided by the teacher. The written test results show that students have difficulty with the use of positive and negative signs, coefficients, constants, algebraic operations, and determining variable values. This indicates that the majority of students have not yet achieved mastery of the algebra material. It can be concluded that the implementation of the independent curriculum at SMP IT Az-Zahira Khatulistiwa supports teachers in the algebra learning process through the use of teaching modules, but students still struggle to understand algebraic concepts due to the limited use of educational media, which is constrained by the school's facilities.

This study aims to describe students' difficulties in translating word problems into mathematical models in algebra material. Using a qualitative approach, the subjects were seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Tasikmalaya in the 2024/2025 academic year. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and documentation. The results show that students struggled to understand the meaning of word problems and convert them into correct equations. Common errors included misconceptions about algebraic symbols, such as treating variables as fixed numbers and misusing the equal sign. In addition, students had difficulty identifying essential information needed to construct a mathematical model. Learning activities that focused only on procedural calculations further contributed to these challenges. This study recommends the use of more contextual and meaningful learning approaches, such as Problem-Based Learning and Realistic Mathematics Education, to help students better understand the relationships within problems and accurately express them through appropriate mathematical representations..    Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan kesulitan siswa dalam menerjemahkan soal cerita ke dalam model matematika pada materi aljabar. Dengan pendekatan kualitatif, subjek penelitian adalah siswa kelas VII SMP Negeri 2 Tasikmalaya tahun ajaran 2024/2025. Data dikumpulkan melalui angket, wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa siswa mengalami kesulitan dalam memahami makna soal cerita dan menyusunnya menjadi persamaan yang tepat. Kesalahan yang muncul meliputi pemahaman yang keliru terhadap simbol aljabar, seperti menganggap variabel sebagai angka tetap dan tidak tepat menggunakan tanda sama dengan. Selain itu, siswa juga tampak kesulitan menentukan informasi penting yang diperlukan untuk membangun model matematika. Pembelajaran yang hanya berfokus pada prosedur perhitungan turut memperkuat kesulitan ini. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan penggunaan pendekatan pembelajaran yang lebih kontekstual dan bermakna, seperti Problem-Based Learning dan Realistic Mathematics Education, agar siswa dapat lebih memahami hubungan antar informasi dalam soal dan menyusunnya dalam bentuk model yang benar.

This research aims to examine the learning methods and challenges faced by several students when solving mathematics problems regarding number patterns, with an emphasis on analyzing students' thinking processes. This study employs an approach to analyze students' ways of thinking. In this study, a qualitative approach is used with a case study method on a group of junior high school students. Information was collected through observations and analysis of students' work. The findings of the research indicate that students apply various strategies in understanding the material of number patterns, which include memorizing patterns to trying to find their own formulas. However, many students face difficulties in drawing conclusions about patterns and connecting relevant mathematical concepts to everyday life. Common mistakes include errors in recognizing patterns, errors in calculations, and a lack of precision in understanding problems. Analysis of the thinking process shows that some students are still at the concrete operational thinking level, so they need visual aids and real-life examples to better understand patterns. This research emphasizes the need for an approach in teaching that can enhance students' abstract thinking abilities and requires varied practice in determining numerical pattern problems.    

This study aims to analyze the types of student learning difficulties in solving mixed arithmetic operations based on the Newman Error Analysis (NEA) approach. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach with literature study techniques on national scientific articles published between 2020 and 2025. The data were analyzed based on five categories of errors according to NEA, namely reading errors, comprehension errors, transformation errors, process skill errors, and coding errors. The results showed that students experienced all types of errors, with transformation and process skill errors as the most dominant types. Factors causing the errors include weak mathematical literacy, lack of understanding of basic concepts, low motivation to learn, and limited contextual and interactive learning strategies. The findings recommend the need for the use of NEA-based diagnostic approaches in mathematics learning as well as the integration of visual learning media to strengthen students' understanding of the concept of mixed arithmetic operations.

Mathematics plays a crucial role in everyday life, as it enhances students' abilities to absorb lessons more effectively and develop rational, critical, logical, analytical, and systematic thinking. This study employs the literature review method, which involves gathering relevant information from various sources to support the research topic. The author collects references from articles and journals using Google Scholar, an open-access database that simplifies the process of locating topic-specific materials. Difficulties faced by students in learning mathematics are not always due to a lack of mathematical knowledge. They may stem from other issues such as memory problems, difficulty in recalling mathematical problems, weak calculation skills, confusion with operational signs, or reversing numbers. Students with learning disabilities may particularly struggle with both mathematical reasoning and basic computation. Furthermore, mathematical learning difficulties are also associated with cognitive challenges, such as solving complex word problems and understanding numerical concepts. These learning difficulties often result from internal and external factors that hinder the brain’s ability to process, analyze, and retain mathematical information effectively.