Students’ Mathematical Communication Skills in Solving STEM Problems

Abstract

STEM is seen as an essential means of realizing informed citizens who benefit from national, regional, and local policies decisions. This study reveals how the categories of students' mathematical communication in solving STEM problems on the material of the two-variable system of linear equations (SPLDV). Mathematical communication express mathematical ideas with symbols, tables, or other forms in mathematical language. The qualitative research took students of SMP Negeri 2 Belitang III, Indonesia and with 20 subjects. The data were collected through tests and interviews, then they were analyzed through the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. Instrument validation to obtain the validity of data. The results showed three categories of mathematical communication, namely symbolic, visual, and text communication, in solving STEM problems. Symbolic problem-solvers have the characteristics of students who can express real situations given in language or mathematical symbols. Meanwhile, visual problem-solvers tend to express the situation of mathematical ideas in the form of graphs, tables, or other forms. As for textual students, it is easier to express situations into mathematical language or symbols. Future research can focus on students' mathematical communication characteristics from the timing aspect, which highlights when problem-solvers communication skills emerge in solving problems.