Scaffolding for elementary students in solving mathematical problems: a case study

Abstract

Abstract Mathematics subject matter does not only emphasize the result of the work but also emphasizes the understanding of the learning process. Previous studies revealed that the failure of students to solve mathematical problems may be caused by the infectivity of the students’ mathematics communication, thus they may need certain scaffoldings, especially in the online distance learning policy during the Covid-19 pandemic outbreaks. This study aims to describe how elementary students require scaffolding in solving mathematics problems. It uses a descriptive qualitative approach. The data were analyzed by using an interactive analysis model. The data were collected by participant-observation and semi-experimental methods. The subjects were four 2 nd to 9 th-grade students who were undergoing online learning from home policy. Their abilities to solve mathematics problems were observed, then scaffoldings were regarded as becoming the appropriate solution. The result indicated that students’ failure in solving mathematics problems began with their failure to understand the questions. Therefore, when communicating mathematics problems, teachers should ensure that students can understand them well. Besides, even if the questions have been delivered afterward, they frequently hampered at the next stages. Therefore, they do need personalized scaffolding in mathematics. It must correspond to each of their prior knowledge and skills, and be prepared in a clear step-by-step manner.