The Mathematics Connection of Teacher Candidates to Solve Mathematics Problems of Primary School Teacher Candidates

Abstract

Education encourages the teacher candidates to connect the taught concepts and to instill a more comprehensive understanding. The researchers comprehended the mathematics connections made by the moderate mathematics students in solving mathematics problems. The researchers applied a qualitative approach to identify the connections in the problem-solving process. The researchers collected the data from 35 students of primary school education enlisted at Universitas Negeri Semarang. The researchers collected the data with the mathematics connection evaluation, strategy, and interview. The researchers collected the data with the screened interview process, taken with purposive sampling. The researchers developed the questions based on the mathematics connection characteristics proposed by NCTM. The connection included inter-mathematics topic connection, interdisciplinary connection, and daily life connection. The researchers revealed three connection types established by the students while solving the problems. They were comprehension, reasoning, representation, and procedure.