Analisis Kesalahan Siswa Dalam Menyelesaikan Soal Matematika Pada Materi Operasi Pada Bentuk Aljabar: Indonesian Journal of Science Education and Technology

Abstract

This study aims to analyze students' errors in solving mathematics problems involving operations on algebraic expressions based on Newman's indicators and to describe changes in these errors following the implementation of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, with students from class VII D at SMP Negeri 1 Lamboya serving as the subjects. Data were collected through tests, interviews, and documentation. The data were analyzed descriptively based on Newman's five indicators—reading, problem comprehension, transformation, process skills, and final answer encoding—and test results were compared with interview findings to substantiate the interpretation. The results indicate that prior to the PBL implementation, students made errors during the problem comprehension, transformation, process skills, and final answer encoding stages, with process skills errors being the most prevalent. Following the PBL implementation, the frequency and level of student errors decreased compared to the pre-test results. Of the 23 students who took the post-test, eight demonstrated improved problem-solving performance, while 15 continued to make errors. These findings suggest that the implementation of Problem-Based Learning can help reduce student errors when solving problems involving operations on algebraic expressions.