Reflective Thinking of Mathematics Prospective Teachers’ for Problem Solving

Abstract

Abstract Reflective thinking is a thinking activity marked by the appearance of confusion and efforts to overcome it through planned steps based on knowledge, experience, and problem-solving skills. Reflective thinkers involve specific skills to identify problems, examine, evaluate, formulate problems, and draw conclusions. There are three categories in reflective thinking, including clarification reflective thinking, connective reflective thinking, and productive reflective thinking. The difference lies in the way individuals deal with confusion. This research describes the reflective thinking process of mathematics prospective teachers in solving analytical geometry in term of plane content based on aspects of technique, monitoring, insight, conceptualization. The qualitative research employed prospective mathematics teacher in Java - Indonesia as research subjects. Data collection taken by using test techniques, field notes, interviews, and audio-visual recordings. The results showed that subjects with the category of clarification reflective thinking, connective reflective thinking, and productive reflective thinking did all four aspects even though not all indicators of each aspect. Thus, a training is necessary to develop mathematics prospective teachers’ reflective thinking.