Functional Thinking of Eighth Grade Junior High School Students in Solving Mathematical Pattern Task

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-525-6_35How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Functional Thinking; Pattern Task; Generalization

Abstract

Functional thinking is a part of algebraic thinking. The purpose of this study is to describe how eighth-grade junior high school students’ functional thinking appears in solving mathematical pattern tasks. In this study, functional thinking is viewed from three aspects: identifying recursive patterns, determining covariational relationships, and determining correspondence relationships. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. Data collection methods were carried out through pattern tasks and interviews. The supporting instruments in this research were mathematical pattern tasks and interview guidelines. Data analysis involved the stages of data collection, data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusions. The subjects of this study were 8 eighth-grade students of SMP Negeri 1 Trowulan Mojokerto. Based on the analysis of the 8 students’ answers, they were then grouped according to the strategies used. These two groups differ only in the indicator of recursive pattern identification. For the other indicators of functional thinking, they are the same. The analysis showed that both subjects identified recursive patterns by extending the given pattern (determining the next number and drawing the next model) and multiplying the differences in the pattern by the term being asked. Both subjects determined covariational relationships by observing the interdependence of changes in the quantity of one variable with respect to another variable. Meanwhile, in determining correspondence relationships, both subjects found a rule that applied to all models by observing the given models. The results suggest that teachers should design learning activities that explicitly promote functional thinking through pattern exploration and generalization tasks. Further research could design and implement learning interventions aimed at enhancing students’ functional thinking.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Eny Suryowati
AU  - Nurul Aini
AU  - Chalimah Chalimah
AU  - Hery Maryanto
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Functional Thinking of Eighth Grade Junior High School Students in Solving Mathematical Pattern Task
BT  - Proceedings of International Conference on Neuroscience and Learning Technology (ICONSATIN 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 333
EP  - 343
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-525-6_35
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-525-6_35
ID  - Suryowati2025
ER  -