The Development of Learning Instruction Based on Problem Based Learning to Improve Problem Solving Ability of Students in Grade VII (Preliminary Research)

Abstract

The problem encountered in school is that students' mathematical problem solving abilities are not optimal. It can be improved by using learning instruction based on Problem Based Learning. The purpose of this study is to develop learning instruction based on Problem Based Learning (PBL) to improve students' mathematical problem solving abilities. The type of research is development research using Plomp’s model which consists of three phases namely preliminary research, development or prototyping phase, and assessment phase. This article discusses the preliminary section. Questionnaires, teacher interview guidelines, field notes, educational test questions were used as a instruments. The results of data analysis show that 1) Students mathematical abilities was low, 2) the learning process focused on the teacher, 3) Students’ involvement in the learning process was lack, 4) The learning instruction used by teachers are not facilitating students to improve mathematical problem solving skills , 5) Students feel difficult to understand the language used in learning resources.