Investigating the Reasoning Abilities of Junior High School Students in Solving Mathematical Problems

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze junior high school students’ errors in solving mathematical reasoning problems. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed involving 31 students from a junior high school in Batam City, Indonesia, selected through random sampling. Data was collected using mathematical reasoning tests and semi-structured interviews. The analysis focused on five indicators of mathematical reasoning: identifying problems, developing conjectures or patterns, implementing strategies, reflecting on solutions, and drawing conclusions. The findings revealed that students experienced substantial difficulties across all indicators. Errors in drawing conclusions were the most dominant (100%), followed by identifying problems (93.55%), reflecting on solutions (93.55%), implementing strategies (80.65%), and developing conjectures or patterns (70.97%). The interview results indicated that students’ errors were caused by limited conceptual understanding, difficulties in interpreting mathematical information, inability to connect concepts with appropriate strategies, carelessness, and time pressure. These findings suggest that students require more intensive learning experiences emphasizing conceptual understanding, reflective thinking, and mathematical reasoning practices in classroom instruction