Tatag Y.E. Siswono, Ahmad W. Kohar, Abdul H. Rosyidi, Sugi Hartono
This article describes primary teachers' beliefs, knowledge and performance regarding mathematical problem-solving. Explorative descriptive research was undertaken involving 80 teachers from East Java Province, Indonesia. Data were obtained through questionnaires and problem-solving tasks. The results of this study indicate that the teachers have a sufficient understanding of the knowledge of problem-solving as instruction and problem-solving in teaching practice. However, they have less understanding about the knowledge of problem-solving strategies and the meaning of mathematical problems. It can be explained from the teachers' performance in problem-solving tasks, indicating that their incorrect answers were found to be a manifestation of their difficulties in applying problem-solving strategies. Analysis of teachers' beliefs show that the teachers tend to view mathematics as an instrumental tool, while they tend to view teaching mathematics as a learner focussed task and students should learn mathematics as an autonomous exploration of students' own interest, which is aligned with a problem-solving view. © 2017 WIETE.
Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
