Development of mathematical connection ability instruments for elementary school students
H E Putri, F Nuraeni, E Rosalia, D A Haftani, N Pratama

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Abstract

This research is motivated by the importance of mathematical connection skills. Based on the results of previous studies, it is known that the mathematical connection ability of elementary school students is still low. The low mathematical connection ability of elementary school students is because students are not used to solving questions that refer to indicators of mathematical connection ability. This study aims to develop a mathematical connection ability instrument suitable for elementary school students. This study uses the research and development method. The samples in this study are 27 sixth-grade students at an elementary school in Purwakarta who were selected through purposive sampling. The ability instrument that has been made is in the form of an essay that consists of five open-ended questions about geometry. The indicators developed in preparing the questions related to the ability of mathematical connections. The questions were constructed according to expert suggestions followed by a trial to see its validity, reliability, difficulty index, and discriminating power. The analysis of the validity test shows that the five items on the instrument are valid, and the reliability of the test instrument is high. In addition, the questions^ difficulty level is classified as difficult and medium. Questions^ discriminating power is generally included in the good criteria. Thus, the five test items can measure mathematical connections in learning mathematics on geometry topics for fifth-grade elementary school students and are appropriate for further research instruments on similar subjects and variables.

Keywords: Test Instruments, Mathematical Connections, Elementary School Students

Topic: Mathematics Education