The Relationship between Mathematical Ability and Problem-Solving Skills of Basic Physics 1 among First-Semester Students

Army Al Islami Ali Putra, Anis Zahrotin

Abstract


This study aims to analyse the relationship between mathematical ability and problem-solving skills in Basic Physics 1 for first-semester students of the Science Education Study Program, STKIP Modern Ngawi. The research applied a quantitative approach with a correlational design and total sampling methods on 20 students. The tools used were written tests that had been validated by experts, including aspects of algebra, trigonometry, vector operations, as well as basic differential and integral calculus to evaluate mathematical ability, along with indicators of problem understanding, strategy design, concept implementation, and answer presentation to evaluate problem-solving skills. Data were analysed using the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, Levene's homogeneity test, and Pearson correlation analysis. The findings of the study explained that the data from the two variables are distributed normally and homogeneously. The Pearson correlation analysis showed a correlation coefficient of -0.337 with a significance mark of 0.146 (> 0.05), which indicated that there was no significant statistical relationship between mathematical ability and problem-solving skills in Basic Physics 1 for first-semester students.

Keywords


Mathematical Ability; Problem-Solving Skills, Basic Physics

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26737/var.v8i2.9213

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