The Influence of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) Approach on Students' Mathematical Representation Ability

Abstract

In this research, the researchers compared mathematical representation ability between the students who were taught using Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) and those who were taught using conventional approach, according to their gender and learning styles. This quasi experimental research was carried out at three junior high schools, involving 174 eighth grade students in Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia. Those schools were purposively selected to represent three different categories of schools (high, middle, and low). The data were collected through questionnaires and test. The results showed that the students' mathematical representation ability was higher when they were taught using RME than when the students were taught using conventional approach, irrespective of their gender. Similar findings were found in relation to the students' learning styles, except for the students with auditory learning style from the school in the middle category. In the end, it can be concluded that the RME approach contributed to the improvement of students' mathematical representation ability.