Elementary Students’ Mathematical Reasoning Abilities in Solving Non-Routine Fraction Story Problems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22437/edumatica.v16i2.56088Keywords:
descriptive qualitative, elementary school students, fractions, mathematical reasoning, non-routine word problemsAbstract
Fraction is an important part of elementary mathematics, yet they often cause difficulties because students may have trouble interpreting fraction concepts and applying them in unfamiliar situations. These difficulties can also affect students’ reason when solving non-routine word problems. This study describes the mathematical reasoning demonstrated by elementary school students when solving non-routine problems involving fractions. A descriptive qualitative approach was used with six fifth-grade students from Public Elementary School 109 Palembang. The participants were purposively selected to represent high, medium, and low levels of mathematical ability. Data was collected through three non-routine essay problems designed to examine three aspects of mathematical reasoning: making conjectures, performing mathematical manipulation, and drawing logical conclusions. Students’ writing was analyzed alongside interview data to examine how they interpreted information, conducted mathematical procedures, and justified their answers. The finding indicates that students showed various levels of reasoning across the three aspects. Making conjectures was the most challenging aspect, particularly when students had to identify relevant information and determine an appropriate initial strategy. In contrast, drawing logical conclusions was more frequently demonstrated, although some conclusions were not adequately supported by the preceding reasoning. The findings suggest that difficulties in solving fraction problems were not limited to procedural errors but were also related to students’ conceptual understanding and interpretation of the problem context. These results highlight the need for fraction instruction that gives students greater opportunities to explain, justify, and evaluate their mathematical reasoning.
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