The effect of problem-based learning on the mathematical disposition of indonesian senior high school students: A quasi-experimental study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58524/jasme.v6i2.1256Keywords:
Augmented Reality, Design Thinking, Ethnomathematics, Mathematical Problem SolvingAbstract
Background: Mathematical disposition is a key affective factor influencing students’ confidence, persistence, flexibility, and interest in mathematics. However, previous studies have reported that many students still show low mathematical disposition, as reflected in limited confidence, low persistence, and passive participation in mathematics learning
Aims: This study examined the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on senior high school students’ mathematical disposition.
Methods: This study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental method with a nonequivalent pretest - posttest control group design. The sample consisted of two eleventh-grade classes (n = 60) at SMA Negeri 2 Majene, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, selected through cluster random sampling. Students completed a Likert-scale questionnaire on mathematical disposition, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, N-Gain scores, and independent-samples t-tests.
Result: The results showed that PBL significantly improved students’ mathematical disposition. The experimental class’s scores increased from 47.9 to 83.6, whereas the control class increased from 44.9 to 54.2. The experimental class achieved a high N-Gain score of 0.7, indicating strong improvement, while the control class showed a low gain of 0.2. Hypothesis testing revealed a statistically significant effect (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: PBL was effective in improving students’ mathematical disposition through active, collaborative, and reflective learning experiences. This study is novel in focusing on mathematical disposition as the primary outcome and implementing PBL among students with initially low disposition.
References
Abate, A., Atnafu, M., & Michael, K. (2022). Visualization and problem-based learning approaches and students’ attitude toward learning mathematics. Pedagogical Research, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/11725
Ahmad, A., Akhsani, L., & Mohamed, Z. (2023). The profile of students’ mathematical representation competence, self-confidence, and habits of mind through problem-based learning models. Infinity Journal, 12(2), 323–338. https://doi.org/10.22460/infinity.v12i2.p323-338
Almulla, M. A. (2020). The effectiveness of the project-based learning (PBL) approach as a way to engage students in learning. SAGE Open, 10(3), 2158244020938702. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020938702
Awofala, A. O., Olaguro, M., Fatade, A. O., & Arigbabu, A. A. (2024). Learning engagement as a predictor of performance in mathematics among Nigerian senior secondary school students. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.30722/IJISME.32.03.004
Bara, G., & Xhomara, N. (2020). The effect of student-centered teaching and problem-based learning on academic achievement in science. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 17(2), 180–198. https://doi.org/10.36681/tused.2020.20
Chen, S.-Y., & Lin, S.-W. (2020). A cross-cultural study of mathematical achievement: From the perspectives of one’s motivation and problem-solving style. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 18(6), 1149–1167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-10011-6
Cresswell, C., & Speelman, C. P. (2020). Does mathematics training lead to better logical thinking and reasoning? A cross-sectional assessment from students to professors. PLOS ONE, 15(7), e0236153. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236153
Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2020). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(2), 97–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791
Darmawan, I. G. N. (2020). The changes in attitudes of 15-year-old Australian students towards reading, mathematics and science and their impact on student performance. Australian Journal of Education, 64(3), 304–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944120947873
Demir, F. (2023). The relationship between active participation in mathematics classes and motivational regulation and critical thinking disposition.
DiNapoli, J. (2023). Distinguishing between grit, persistence, and perseverance for learning mathematics with understanding. Education Sciences, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040402
DiNapoli, J., & Miller, E. K. (2022). Recognizing, supporting, and improving student perseverance in mathematical problem-solving: The role of conceptual thinking scaffolds. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 66, 100965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2022.100965
Gyan, R. K., & Mensah, F. S. (2025). Gendered patterns in mathematics self-esteem and student perceptions of teacher dispositions. Discover Education, 4(1), 222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00656-7
Han, C.-Y., Lin, C.-C., Ku, H.-C., & Huang, Y.-L. (2026). An integrative educational framework to enhance logical reasoning and cognitive skills in undergraduate nursing students: A constructivist grounded theory approach. Nurse Education Today, 160, 107004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2026.107004
He, S., Qi, C., Xiao, L., & Hao, J. (2026). Shaping students’ creative problem-solving skills through cognitive activation strategies: The mediating role of mathematics anxiety and perseverance. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 60, 102083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2025.102083
Hidayat, R., Nugroho, I., Zainuddin, Z., & Ingai, T. A. (2023). A systematic review of analytical thinking skills in STEM education settings. Information and Learning Sciences, 125(7–8), 565–586. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-06-2023-0070
Hsbollah, H. M., & Hassan, H. (2022). Creating meaningful learning experiences with active, fun, and technology elements in the problem-based learning approach and its implications. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 19(1), 147–181. https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2022.19.1.6
Hui, H. B., & Mahmud, M. S. (2023). Influence of game-based learning in mathematics education on the students’ cognitive and affective domain: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1105806
Hwang, S., & Son, T. (2021). Students’ attitude toward mathematics and its relationship with mathematics achievement. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 8(3), 272–280. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2021.83.272.280
Irvine, J. (2020). Positively influencing student engagement and attitude in mathematics through an instructional intervention using reform mathematics principles. Journal of Education and Learning, 9(2), 48–75. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v9n2p48
Kwangmuang, P., Jarutkamolpong, S., Sangboonraung, W., & Daungtod, S. (2021). The development of learning innovation to enhance higher order thinking skills for students in Thailand junior high schools. Heliyon, 7(6), e07309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07309
Lee, Y., Capraro, R. M., Capraro, M. M., & Bicer, A. (2023). School and student factors and their influence on affective mathematics engagement. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 10(1), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1212
Liou, P.-Y. (2021). Students’ attitudes toward science and science achievement: An analysis of the differential effects of science instructional practices. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 58(3), 310–334. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21643
Maamin, M., Maat, S. M., & Iksan, Z. H. (2021). The influence of student engagement on mathematical achievement among secondary school students. Mathematics, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/math10010041
Matthews, J. S. (2020). Formative learning experiences of urban mathematics teachers and their role in classroom care practices and student belonging. Urban Education, 55(4), 507–541. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085919842625
Ndia, L., Salam, M., Iru, L., & Atma, N. (2025). Differentiated instruction in problem-based and direct instruction: The moderating role of mathematical disposition on students’ mathematical communication skills. Education Sciences, 15(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15121636
Ngereja, B., Hussein, B., & Andersen, B. (2020). Does project-based learning (PBL) promote student learning? A performance evaluation. Education Sciences, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110330
OECD. (2019). PISA 2018 results (Volume I): What students know and can do. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/5f07c754-en
Pickering, J., Attridge, N., Inglis, M., & Morsanyi, K. (2025). Numeracy, logical reasoning and real-world decision making. Research in Mathematics Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2025.2472675
Punzalan, J. R. (2026). Productive disposition in mathematical problem solving of STEM students and its correlation to their mathematical achievement. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2025.46.4.30
Raza, S. A., Qazi, W., & Umer, B. (2019). Examining the impact of case-based learning on student engagement, learning motivation and learning performance among university students. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 12(3), 517–533. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-05-2019-0105
Rehman, N., Huang, X., & Mahmood, A. (2025). Altering students’ attitude towards learning mathematics through project-based learning: A mathematics project. South African Journal of Education, 45(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v45n1a2491
Rehman, N., Huang, X., Mahmood, A., AlGerafi, M. A. M., & Javed, S. (2024). Project-based learning as a catalyst for 21st-century skills and student engagement in the math classroom. Heliyon, 10(23). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39988
Russo, J., & Minas, M. (2020). Student attitudes towards learning mathematics through challenging problem-solving tasks: “It’s so hard in a good way.” International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 13(2), 215–225. https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2021.185
Samuel, T. S., & Warner, J. (2021). “I can math!”: Reducing math anxiety and increasing math self-efficacy using a mindfulness and growth mindset-based intervention in first-year students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 45(3), 205–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2019.1666063
Silma, N., Maulida, I., Wulan, A. P., Merawati, J., & Hasan, M. K. (2024). A comprehensive review of project-based learning (PBL): Unravelling its aims, methodologies, and implications. Journal of Education, Social & Communication Studies, 1(1), 10–19.
Smith, K., Maynard, N., Berry, A., Stephenson, T., Spiteri, T., Corrigan, D., Mansfield, J., Ellerton, P., & Smith, T. (2022). Principles of problem-based learning (PBL) in STEM education: Using expert wisdom and research to frame educational practice. Education Sciences, 12(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100728
Szabo, Z. K., Körtesi, P., Guncaga, J., Szabo, D., & Neag, R. (2020). Examples of problem-solving strategies in mathematics education supporting the sustainability of 21st-century skills. Sustainability, 12(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310113
Tirado-Morueta, R., Ceada-Garrido, Y., Barragán, A. J., Enrique, J. M., & Andujar, J. M. (2024). The association of self-determination with student engagement moderated by teacher scaffolding in a project-based learning (PBL) case. Educational Studies, 50(5), 806–827. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.2003185
Tsai, M.-C., Shen, P.-D., Chen, W.-Y., Hsu, L. C., & Tsai, C.-W. (2020). Exploring the effects of web-mediated activity-based learning and meaningful learning on improving students’ learning effects, learning engagement, and academic motivation. Universal Access in the Information Society, 19(4), 783–798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-019-00690-x
Tursynkulova, E., Madiyarov, N., Sultanbek, T., & Duysebayeva, P. (2023). The effect of problem-based learning on cognitive skills in solving geometric construction problems: A case study in Kazakhstan. Frontiers in Education, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1284305
Wang, J., & Guo, L. (2026). Beyond personality traits: A motivation-self-regulation model of mathematical problem-solving through self-efficacy and mathematical thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1803867
Wang, M., Mohd Matore, M. E. E., & Rosli, R. (2025). A systematic literature review on analytical thinking development in mathematics education: Trends across time and countries. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1523836
Wen, R., & Dubé, A. K. (2022). A systematic review of secondary students’ attitudes towards mathematics and its relations with mathematics achievement. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 8(2), 295–325. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.7937
Williamson, E. (2023). The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills among high school students. European Journal of Education, 1(1), 1–11.
Wong, Z. Y., Liem, G. A. D., Chan, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2024). Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 48–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000833
Xiao, F., & Sun, L. (2021). Students’ motivation and affection profiles and their relation to mathematics achievement, persistence, and behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.533593
Yi, H. S., & Na, W. (2020). How are maths-anxious students identified and what are the key predictors of maths anxiety? Insights gained from PISA results for Korean adolescents. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 40(2), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2019.1692782
Zhai, C., Wibowo, S., & Li, L. D. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students’ cognitive abilities: A systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00316-7
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Amran Yahya, Nurbayani

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.