Table 2. Percentage of each kind of students’ problem solving strategies occurred in 5 problem solving-mathematics classrooms
From Table 2, it
reveals that in the
problem solvingmathematics
classroom, the students
used all kinds of problem solving strategies to solve the problems. In addition, when the students solved the
problems, they cooperated to create their problem solving strategies. Thus, it could be considered that different
students’ ways of thinking support the students to use the problem solving strategies variously.
6. Concluding Remarks and Recommendations
Such results could be considered in the new approach used in the problem solving-mathematics classroom that
drives the problem solving activities. The students can selves regulate to do problem solving activities. The open
approach can shift the mathematics classroom to change differently from the traditional classroom in which the
teachers are the center and students only practice and drill, whereby the new students create the problems and
problem solving strategies by themselves. Interestingly, therefore, cultural and social context in the problem
solving-mathematics classroom influencing students’ authentic experiences through the problem solving should be
searched for further studies.
7. Acknowledgements
This research is supported by the Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University
Kinds of Problem solving
strategies
Percentage of students’ problem
solving strategies
1 Working backwards 4.58
2 Finding a pattern 9.15
3 Adopting a different point of view 7.39
4 Solving a simpler or analogous problem
5 Considering extreme cases
6 Making a drawing (visual representation)
7 Intelligent guessing and testing (approximation)
8 Accounting for all possibilities
9 Organizing data
10 Logical reasoning
5.99
2.82
19.02
8.80
16.90
10.21
15.14