QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH ABOUT RELATION OF CURIOSITY TO STUDY MATHEMATICS AND ACHIEVEMENT

Written by:

PALUPI SRI WIJAYANTI (usually called by UPICK),

Student of Regular Mathematics Education Class

(Pend. Matematika R’07)

(HP : 081328810814)

In teaching learning process, mathematics is one of subjects that taught widely in every education institution level. Mathematics is science about numbers, relation of number and operational procedure which used in number problem solving. In other word, mathematics is abstract science whatever form of its subject.

Seldom student afraid before mathematics subject began. Until know, people have bad or negative perceptions about mathematics. Like Frans Susilo’s opinion. He said that many of negative attitude in mathematics appear because misunderstand or false views in mathematics. There are some people opinions to learn mathematics:

i. To learn mathematics, people must have extraordinary talent that not every people have it. People thought to learn mathematics need high intelligence. So, people which feel just have low-intelligence, not enthusiasm to learn mathematics.

ii. Mathematics is calculating science. Calculation ability in numbers can not avoided when learns it. However, calculating just little part of all the mathematics content. Beside, calculating, people also effort to understand how that calculation did by a certain way.

iii. People thought that mathematics just using brain. Mathematics activities due to need logic and brain intelligence. However, intelligence and logic not enough to develop mathematics. Mathematics need creativities and human intuitions like art and literatures. Creativities in mathematics include reason mind, imagination, aesthetics, and other true intuitions. Mathematicians usually begin to research using intuition and then effort to proof that intuition is right. Amazed in aesthetics and systematic of mathematics often become motivation sources for mathematicians to make new penetration for the sake of mathematics development.

iv. Opinion about the important of mathematics is just right answers. In other word, process, comprehensions, logic, and methods that used to solve mathematics problem until get right answers.

v. People thought that mathematics have absolute rightness. Rightness in mathematics depend on first commitment that have agreed together is called axiom even there are other opinions that rightness in mathematics just validity, which is suitable logic with human regulation that used widely.

Frans Susilo’s opinion is little part people’s views to learn mathematics even that opinion due to study mathematics for student and also we can say that will to learn mathematics in people is low.

Low-curiosity to study mathematics for student is challenge in education institution level. In fact, curiosity to study mathematics is one of factors to get good achievement in study mathematics. There are researches about relation to know curiosity and achievement student level and it founded that it’s right.

As a proof is answer of the research when did in B second grade student in SLTPN 1 Pakuniran, but I can’t found that sources, such as the researchers and the background of the report. However, I can tell like this research has aim to know how the relation curiosity to study mathematics and it’s achievement of study mathematics, this research used quantitative approach method, research population is all of student in second grade and two classes which choose with purposive random sampling and the sample of the research is one class with 27 students. It got the data on April 28^th 2003- May 13^rd 2003 use questioner and test. Then they will analyze with Chi- square and help from computer program in SPSS versions 10.0.

Based on range analyze, can find the conclusion that there are significant relation between curiosity to study mathematics and achievement of study mathematics are medium with 2, 9% as false risk level.

As one of the solution, may be mathematics teacher using variation method and approach when teach mathematics in class in order rise up student enthusiasms to study mathematics. In other word, the strategy to teach mathematics in front of the class must be having more variation. At the last, I give recommend that as a mathematics teacher, use daily life problems to open minding of the student that mathematics is fact and enjoyable.