Analysis of Students' Mathematical Understanding on Arithmetic Sequences and Series in 12th Grade Senior High School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze students' understanding to solve arithmetic sequences and series questions. The subjects of this study were students who are in the 12th grade at SMAN 2 Garut, and they were 77 persons has been selected randomly from two study groups with the same teacher. This research applied descriptive quantitative techniques. The research result shows that students' ability is still low in solving arithmetics questions. This research found that there are three categories of students based on their achievement scores, namely the low category with a percentage is 42%, the medium category with a percentage is 36%, and the high category with a percentage is 22%. Some factors causing students’ errors are ineffective learning, uncarefully solving questions, and students have been lack of understanding of the material.

Analysis of Students' Difficulties in Solving Problems Related to Solid Geometry

“…According to Moleong (2017), qualitative research aims to comprehend the phenomenon experienced by research participants holistically, such as their behaviors and perceptions, through natural methods and by utilizing descriptive language and words within a natural context. Sugiyono (2011) states that qualitative research is rooted in the philosophy of postpositivism. It is particularly suitable for studying natural objects, where the researcher serves as the key instrument, and data collection techniques involve triangulation, combining multiple approaches.…”

“…Mathematics is an integral part of education, from elementary school to university level. However, it is worth noting that many students still perceive mathematics as a challenging subject, leading them to avoid it (Hardiansyah et al, 2022;Kristin et al, 2021;Nursalam, 2016;Qolbi et al, 2022;Rosalinda et al, 2022). According to Zanthy (2016), studying mathematics constantly demands the development of students' thinking skills, as it is an important subject that can be applied to various real-life problems using mathematical models.…”