A Portrait of Controversial Mathematics Problems and Students’ Metacognitive Awareness: A Case of Indonesia

Abstract

This study sheds light on the students’ use of metacognitive strategies in solving controversial mathematical problems. This study involved 80 students. Data on metacognitive strategies were obtained through interviews and the results of students’ work on test items. Data analysis and interpretation of the findings were carried out through text analysis on metacognitive strategy data obtained at the planning, monitoring, and evaluating stages. The results of data analysis depict that at the planning stage, students identify the aspect of the problems they have known and recognize the contradictory things. At the monitoring stage, students explore the elements that cause controversy. In the evaluating stage, students clarify, strengthen, improve, and conclude solutions to controversial mathematical problems. The results of this study indicate that it is necessary to apply metacognitive strategies to facilitate students to trace back the aspects inducing the controversy, eradicating the controversies among students. To this end, lecturers and students can develop mathematics learning models that involve metacognitive strategies for the success of learning mathematics in the future.