Mathematical Literacy in Adolescent Students in ICT-Based Boarding Schools

Abstract

Mathematical literacy can be defined as an individual’s capacity to formulate, use, and interpret mathematics in various contexts including mathematical reasoning and the use of mathematical concepts, procedures, facts, and tools to describe, explain, and predict phenomena. Using a qualitative descriptive approach with the researcher as the main instrument assisted by additional instruments of math literacy tests and interview guidelines, this study aims to identify, analyze, and describe the mathematical literacy of adolescent students in one of the private ICT-based boarding schools in Surakarta City. It involved 10 subjects selected from 30 respondents. The selection used the snowball sampling technique. The validity of the data was obtained through two triangulations, namely methods and sources. Based on the result of data reduction and presentation, it can be concluded that 43.3% of respondents’ mathematical literacy is in the first level in which students are only able to identify information and solve problems using routine procedures according to explicit stimulation. And 33.3% of respondents’ mathematical literacy is at the second level in which students can recognize situations, use algorithms or formulas, and make an interpretation. Then, 23.4% of respondents with mathematical literacy is at the third level in which students can interpret and represent different information and apply problem-solving strategies using good procedures, and directly state the reasons.