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In item response theory, the number of response categories used in polytomous scoring has an effect on the fit of the model used. When the initial scoring model yields unsatisfactory estimates, corrections to the initial scoring model need to be made. This exploratory descriptive study used response data from Take Home Exam (THE) participants in the Statistical Methods I course organized by the Open University, Indonesia, in 2022. The stages of data analysis include coding the rater’s score; analyzing frequency; analyze the fit of the model based on graded, partial, and generalized partial credit models; analyze the characteristic response function (CRF) curve; scoring correction (rescaling); and re-analyze the fit of the model. The fit of the model is based on the chi-square test and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). All model fit analyzes were performed by using R. The results revealed that scoring corrections had an effect on model fit and that the partial credit model (PCM) produced the best item parameter estimates. All results and their implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Problem-Based Learning has been studied over three decades in various subjects and schools, This meta-analysis study aimed to synthesize the most recent findings of the effect of Problem-Based Learning (PBL), specifically on students’ mathematical reasoning ability. The data were obtained from relevant primary studies published in national and international journals or proceedings during 2014-2021. Ten effect sizes from eight studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were analyzed using a systematic review and meta-analysis. JASP 0.15.0.0 software was used to measure the formula of Hedges g to determine the effect size. The result showed that PBL has a strong effect on students’ mathematical reasoning ability (g­­RE = 2.062, 95% CI [1.436, 2.689], p 0.001) when compared to traditional learning. The results of the analysis of moderator variables revealed that publication year (Qb = 5.460, p 0.05) and sampling technique (Qb = 9.032, p 0.05) had significant effect on the effectiveness of PBL on students’ mathematical reasoning ability, while educational levels (Qb = 1.649, p 0.05), sample size (Qb = 2.081, p 0.05) and publication sources (Qb = 0.573, p 0.05) did not show any significant effect. The result of this study provides important information for further meta-analysis study and the implementation of PBL in mathematics learning.

The study aims to identify the manifestation of Character Based Education Pandemic in internationalization Dynamics. It also explore concept of character as a part of pandemic process throughout human life and investigate on how pandemic plays role in character. In order to meet the purpose of the research, the qualitative approached, as it is in line with this particular study which is descriptive in nature. In accordance with many of the previous theories regarding the character based education in pandemic, it is found that the application of Character Based Education Pandemic of internationalization dynamics to be a better character. Improvement and successful program indirectly derived from manifestation of the characteristics of Character Based Education Pandemic namely faith in oneself, the aspiration towards excellence, the tenacity to challenge themselves, the engagement of support from others, and the continuous deliberate practice. Through the act of character based education, internationalization dynamics will evolve toward the betterment and so will the organization.

This study describes the characteristics of the test and its items used in the national-standardized school examination by applying classical test theory and focusing on the item difficulty, item discrimination, test reliability, and distractor analysis. We analyzed response data of 191 12th graders from one of public senior high schools in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, to the examination on the elective mathematics subject. The results showed that both multiple-choice and essay items contained in the test were at a moderate level of difficulty. The lowest item difficulty index went to the multiple-choice item where students failed in interpreting straight and dashed lines and went to the essay item that required complex intra-mathematical connections. In addition, we only found one item which was poor in distinguishing student competence. Furthermore, students’ test scores on multiple-choice and essay items were reliable. Although most multiple-choice items had at least two functioning distractors, it was still found two items whose all distractors were not functioning. In this article, we provide some suggestions concerning improvement towards mathematics learning practices.

The primary purpose of studying mathematics is that students can solve problems, both mathematical and real-life problems. In this way, mathematical connections play an essential role in enabling students to solve mathematical problems. Students’ difficulties in mathematical connections can cause difficulties in solving problems. This study aims to describe the mathematical connections difficulties experienced by students when solving mathematical problems. This study is qualitative with a phenomenological approach. Data were collected by using mathematical connection tests and interviews after the test. The participants of this study were 31 high school students from five schools in Yogyakarta Special Region and Central Java Province, Indonesia. Data analysis began with analyzing all students’ answers in solving mathematical problems and categorizing the types of difficulties experienced by students. Thematic analysis of the interview data was conducted to reveal the causes of difficulties experienced by students when making mathematical connections. The findings showed that most students experienced difficulties in making mathematical connections, such as in different representations, part-whole relationships, connections between mathematical concepts, and interrelationships between mathematical procedures. Several causes of such difficulties and further actions were also discussed in this study. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.8.14

One of useful theories in the educational and psychological assessment is an item response theory (IRT) that applies mathematical concepts. For students, constructing math concept to solve problems in IRT is very difficult and utilizing technology such as computer and software will help. In a qualitative approach, this study described how students constructed mathematical concepts in the item response theory using external mathematical representations integrated with technology. The participants were 19 graduate students. Data were collected through observation in 5 courses. The data were analyzed using Milles and Hubberman technique through reduction, display, and verification. The results showed that by using external representations and providing cases, presenting data in tables, the collaboration among the students to solve problems, create and demonstrate graphics utilizing technology to construct mathematical concepts, utilize the context assessment related to mathematical concepts, and also use graphs could support students’ thinking for constructing mathematical concepts in IRT.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic forces learning, including mathematics learning, to be carried out in online or distance mode. This situation is a challenge for teachers in facilitating mathematics learning because they are required to organize mathematics content and integrate it with certain learning technologies. In this article, we reviewed a total of 14 articles to describe how mathematics teacher in Indonesia facilitates online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on types of technology used and reasons for choosing the technology, strategies used in integrating the technology with certain learning models or methods, ways of facilitating online discussion to construct knowledge, and assessments conducted as well as effects of the online learning facilitated by the teacher. Some implications for policy and practices are also provided in this article for improvement of online mathematics learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and may also after the pandemic is over in which it is possible to combine online and offline learning.

The educational achievement in Indonesia is measured by implementing the National Examination or Ujian Nasional (UN). Throughout its implementation, the UN results shown unsatisfying results, including in mathematics subjects. This fact indicated that there are mathematics topics that are considered to be difficult for students. This study aimed to investigate the difficult topics of mathematics in Vocational High School (VHS) based on UN data. This study was a descriptive research with the quantitative approach by using the UN report results in the level of VHS from Center for Educational Assessment of the Ministry of Education and Culture in the period of 2008 to 2017 (ten years) as a research data source. Data analysis was carried out in a quantitative descriptive by mapping the mathematics topics based on proportion correct answers or “daya serap”. A topic was considered difficult if the proportion correct answer was less than 50%. The results showed that there were 14 difficult mathematics topics in the UN implementation at the VHS level from 2008 to 2017. These topics include the comparison of trigonometric functions, solid figure, limit, measure of data dispersion, permutation and combination, differential, area between two curves, a measure of central data tendentious, probability, logarithm, integral, sequence and series, linear program, and polar coordinates system. The implications of the research findings for learning practice and future research opportunities are discussed.

In order to achieve success, an individual should have good thinking skills and character. Both matters can be achieved through a well-qualified educational system. In the mathematics’ learning process, a Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model might be selected as one of the tools for improving students’ thinking skills and character. Therefore, this study aimed at describing students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and character improvement in the mathematics’ learning process through a CPS model. This study itself was a design research. The subjects in this study were tenth grade students of the Natural Science Program from an Islamic senior high school (namely Madrasah Aliyah Negeri/MAN 3) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The data were gathered through test and observation, while the data analysis was conducted in a descriptive manner both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results of this study showed that: (1) the students’ HOTS score improved after the CPS model had been implemented in the mathematics’ learning process; (2) the students’ character score improved after the CPS model had been implemented in the mathematics’ learning process; and (3) the characteristics that might be trained through the implementation of the CPS model in the mathematics’ learning process included hard work, curiosity, responsibility, teamwork, tolerance, care and self-confidence.

The National Examination in Indonesia, which began in 2015, was no longer a determinant of student graduation at the end of the education level. Utilization of the examination results will affect the seriousness of the students in working on it. This study aims to describe the level of seriousness of 12th grade students in working on National Examinations, when it no longer a determinant of graduation by examining teachers and school principals’ point of view. This research is a qualitative study by using the phenomenology approach. Data was collected using focus group discussions (FGD) conducted 3 times in 3 provinces in Indonesia, consisted of Yogyakarta, South Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara. FGD participants were 9 high school principals, 9 vice principal of curriculum, and 54 teachers who teach subjects that are tested on national exam. In each province, three schools were selected, consisted of two public schools, and one private school. Data were analyzed using data reduction stages, to find relationships between themes, and verification. The results showed that the motivation of 12th grade students in preparing National Examination were reduced. They no longer focused on preparing the exams, otherwise they preparing themselves for higher education. Furthermore, students tended to select subjects that were easier and the teacher should motivate students harder to prepare for the National Examination.

Statistics is one of the tools to draw generalization in conducting a research. However, university students still face various obstacles during statistics lectures. This study aimed to describe the students’ difficulties in learning statistics and strategies for scaffolding them. It was conducted with 12 international students from different majors who were enrolled in statistics lectures in Graduate School, Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia. It employed qualitative phenomenological research. The Cresswell’s model was used in data analysis covering data reduction, presentation, and verification. The data were collected through interviews and observations during 8 meetings of extra statistics lectures. The results indicated that the students’ obstacles in learning statistics were caused by several factors; they were not enrolled in Mathematics and Statistics lectures during their undergraduate study, and they found it hard to perform computation, run the software, understand mathematical symbols, relate one concept to others in hypothesis testing, and present analysis results in Bahasa. Various scaffolding can be taken by lecturers to overcome these problems.

Generally, teachers use oral communication for teaching mathematics. Taking an opposite perspective, this paper describes how instructional practices for mathematics can be carried out namely a silent method. Silent method uses body language, written, and oral communication for classroom interaction. This research uses a design research approach consisting of four phases: preliminary, prototyping and developing the instruction, and assessment. There are four stages of silent method. The first stage is conditioning stage in which the teacher introduces the method and makes agreement about the ‘rule of the game’. It is followed by the second one, elaborating stage, where students guess and explore alternative answers. The third stage is developing mathematical thinking by structuring and symbolizing. Finally, the method is ended by reinforcing stage which aims at strengthening and reflecting student’s understanding. In this paper, every stage is described on the basis of practical experiences in a real math...

When a test implements several test instruments, there is an assurance that the test instruments that will be implemented are equal and this equality is an urgent matter. Therefore, this study aimed at confirming the equality of the test instruments that had been implemented in Mathematics National Examinations (MNE) 2013-2016. This study was conducted using quantitative approach. The data were gathered using students’ response documentation technique and MNE test instruments; the test instruments were drawn from the packages that had been administered to the national examinations for junior high school students in the Province of Yogyakarta Special Region. The data were analyzed by using the stages of item parameter estimation, designing the equating equation, equating through concordance model, drawing the test characteristics curve, and interpretation. The results of the analysis showed that the instruments that have been administered are almost equal, both from one package to another and from one year to another, with the standards of test instrument 2013.

The study was to describe the implementation of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) toward the improvement of students’ Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) and characters and to describe the obstacles that had been encountered within the implementation. The study was a mixed research that made use of concurrent mixed method design. The population in the study was the students from eight junior high schools that had been selected from six provinces in Indonesia namely the Yogyakarta Special Region, Bengkulu, South Borneo, West Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi and Papua. There were 648 students who had been selected randomly from these schools. The researchers conducted the PBL process within the experimental classes and the expository learning process within the eight control classes. The data gathering process was conducted through the test, the self-assessment and the open questionnaire. The quantitative data analysis was conducted inferentially using multivariate and univariate analysis, while the qualitative data analysis was conducted descriptively. The results of the study showed that: (1) the implementation of PBL had been more effective in comparison to the expository one in terms improving the students’ HOTS; (2) the implementation of PBL had not been more effective in comparison to the expository one in terms of improving the students’ characters; and (3) in overall the obstacles that had been encountered within the implementation of PBL process were related to the teachers’ unpreparedness, the time allocation, the unequal students’ input, the students’ learning habits and the difficult assessment.

This study aimed to describe the instructional design to improve the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) of students in learning mathematics. This research is design research involving teachers and students of class X MIPA 1 MAN Yigyakarta III, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Data collected through focus group discussions and tests. Data analyzed by quantitative descriptive. The results showed that the instructional design developed is effective to improving students' HOTS in learning mathematics. Instructional design developed generally include three main components: (1) involve students in the activities non-routine problem solving; (2) facilitating students to develop the ability to analyze and evaluate (critical thinking) and the ability to create (creative thinking); and (3) encourage students to construct their own knowledge.

Higher order thinking skill (HOTS) is one of the students’ abilities that should be developed through teaching and learning. Teachers’ knowledge about HOTS and its teaching and learning tactics is a key to successful education. The purpose of this research is to describe teachers’ knowledge about higher order thinking skills (HOTS). The research involves qualitative study with the phenomenological approach. The research participants are 27 mathematics teachers from state and private junior high schools across 7 provinces in Indonesia. The researcher collected data with a test followed by focus group discussion (FGD) and interviews. The analysis of data involved Bogdan & Biklen model and descriptive statistics for data from the test. The analysis of FGD, and test data intends to get information on 6 sub-themes; teachers’ knowledge about HOTS, importance of HOTS, teaching about HOTS to students, improving students’ HOTS, measuring and assessing HOTS, and teachers’ ability for solving HOTS-based problems. The results indicate that teachers’ knowledge about HOTS, their ability to improve students’ HOTS, solve HOTS-based problems, and measure students' HOTS is still low. There are facts, however, that teachers already understand the importance of HOTS and teaching it by using various innovative learning models. Keywords: HOTS, measurement and assessment, teachers’ knowledge, teaching and learning

International surveys, such as TIMSS and PISA, frequently put Indonesia in the low ranks. It is an indication that the higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) of students in Indonesia are still low. This research aims to analyze students’ difficulties in solving problems that measure HOTS. This is a case study research with a qualitative approach. Participants studied were 93 high school students in grade XI. Data were collected using test instruments that measure HOTS, which was developed based on the standard contents of high school mathematics. The difficulties were analyzed descriptively by observing students’ errors in answering HOTS test items. Students’ errors were classified based on Newman’s Error Procedure (NEP). The result shows that around 8.33% of the students had difficulties in comprehension, 15.59% in transformation, 32.53% in process skills, and 1.34 % in encoding. Keywords: HOTS problem in mathematics, students’ difficulties, case study, Newman’s error procedure.

Many studies reported the importance of character education for students to support their future success. Currently, the countries have strengthened the implementation of character education in their educational system, including Indonesia. Related to the previous statements, this research aimed to describe the impact of character education implementation as well as challenges and strategies of teachers in implementing the character education. This research was an evaluation research type using a goal-free evaluation model (impact evaluation) with a qualitative approach. The participants of the research were principals, teachers, students, parents, and community members from three provinces in Indonesia; East Kalimantan, Special Region of Yogyakarta, and West Nusa Tenggara. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and also in-depth interviews. The data were then analysed using a model of Bogdan and Biklen to find out the refinement among themes and generate a detailed understanding. The findings showed that character education had a positive impact on increasing the students’ character values including religiosity, personality, social attitude, and competitive attitude. Role-modelling by teachers and other members of the school community and parents, character-oriented activities, and moral and material support from educational stakeholders are key factors in character education implementation. However, some improvements need to be made, such as improving the teacher training and workshops and giving financial support (funding) for character education implementation. Keywords: character education, character value, goal-free evaluation, impact evaluation.

In line with technological development, the computer-based national examination (CBNE) has become an urgent matter as its implementation faces various challenges, especially in developing countries. Strategies in implementing CBNE are thus needed to face the challenges. The aim of this research was to analyse the challenges and strategies of Indonesian schools in implementing CBNE. This research was qualitative phenomenological in nature. The data were collected through a questionnaire and a focus group discussion. The research participants were teachers who were test supervisors and technicians at junior high schools and senior high schools (i.e. Level 1 and 2) and vocational high schools implementing CBNE in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The data were analysed using the Bogdan and Biklen model. The results indicate that (1) in implementing CBNE, the schools should initially make efforts to provide the electronic equipment supporting it; (2) the implementation of CBNE is challenged by problems concerning the Internet and the electricity supply; (3) the test supervisors have to learn their duties by themselves and (4) the students are not yet familiar with the beneficial use of information technology. To deal with such challenges, the schools employed strategies by making efforts to provide the standard electronic equipment through collaboration with the students’ parents and improving the curriculum content by adding information technology as a school subject. Keywords: computer-based national examination, challenges in implementing CBNE, strategies for implementing CBNE.