International Journal of Educational

Science and Research (IJESR)

ISSN(P): 2249-6947; ISSN(E): 2249-8052
Vol. 6, Issue 2, Apr 2016, 147-154
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

INVESTIGATING THE ACCESS TO MATHEMATICS AND CONCEPTUAL

UNDERSTANDING OF 10TH GRADE STUDENTS IN A PROBLEM-BASED
LEARNING (PBL) CLASSROOM
PATIPHAT TITTHA & DUANGHATHAI KATWIBUN
Mathematics Education, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, Bangkok
ABSTRACT
As the mathematics accessibility and mathematics conceptual understanding are needed in the 21st century,
and the PBL is one of the 21st century instructions that might help students to access to the mathematics and to gain the
mathematics conceptual understanding, this study aims to investigate the access to mathematics and the mathematics
conceptual understanding of the 10th grade students in a PBL classroom by implementing PBL lesson plans, which are
adapted from the PBL learning process of Othman, Salleh, and Sulaimans work (2013). The PBL processes included 1)
introduction to the problem 2) self-directed learning 3) group meeting 4) presentation, and 5) exercises. The data was
collected by means of the access to mathematics observation forms, students reflections, teachers notes, conceptual

descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) were used to analyze the data. The researchers found
that most of the students participated in all steps of the PBL processes; in doing so, it means that most of the students
were able to access to the mathematics in the classroom activities. Moreover, the conceptual understanding test showed
that the mean and the standard deviation of the test score are 8.5 points (out of 10) and 1.58, respectively. These
indicated that the students gain conceptual understanding in the PBL classroom.

Original Article

understanding exercises, a conceptual understanding test, and students interview forms. The descriptive analysis and

KEYWORDS: Access to mathematics, Problem-Based Learning, PBL, Mathematics conceptual understanding.

Received: Mar 21, 2016; Accepted: Apr 04, 2016; Published: Apr 11, 2016; Paper Id.: IJESRAPR2016017

INTRODUCTION
Background/ Objectives and Goals
In the 21st century, conceptual understanding is needed due to the fact that conceptual understanding is
the basis of all mathematical skills that students should have. Although traditional teaching, like rote learning, is
still somehow needed in learning mathematics; but it does not facilitate all students enough to have conceptual
understanding and the essential skills (Lithner, 2012).
Additionally, the active environment in the classroom can provide the opportunity for the students to
share the ideas and to discuss challenge topics. By this way, the students can learn in the deep level of
understanding (Atherton 2015).
Moreover, Schoenfeld (2014) emphasized the need to facilitate students by providing mathematics
accessibility for all students. The meaning of the access to mathematics in term of mathematics education is the
opportunity of all students to learn and participate in the meaningful mathematical activities (Rubenstein and
Bright, 2004). In addition, the access to mathematics does not mean that all students should have the same

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Patiphat Tittha & Duanghathai Katwibun

instruction but it means that the classroom provides the opportunity of achievement succeed and the opportunity to learn
for all students (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2000). The Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is one
of active instructions that could promote accessibility of all students in learning process (Prince, 2004). Moreover, SavinBaden & Major (2004) and Savin-Baden (2003) claim that PBL is one of the most essential learning and teaching
strategies, which highlight the problem tasks/scenarios as the heart of classroom activities. The PBL provides classroom
atmosphere that promote cooperative learning group, in which students can learn and solve the problems together. The
researchers adapted the PBL learning processes from Othman, Salleh, and Sulaimans work (2013). They proposed five
innovative learning steps in PBL process, including 1) introduction to the problem 2) self-directed learning 3) group
meeting 4) presentation, and 5) exercises. The researchers realized and were interested in this point above; therefore, it
resulted in the aim of this study. This study aims to investigate the access to mathematics and mathematics conceptual
understanding of 10th grade students in a PBL classroom.

METHODS
This study was conducted with the 38 tenth graders (13 male and 25 female) from a high school in Chiang Mai
Province, Thailand. The data collections were included the access to mathematics observation forms, students interview
forms; which based on Schoenfelds framework (2014), eight PBL lesson plans (focused on functions and relations
concepts), students reflections, and teachers notes, conceptual understanding exercises, and a conceptual understanding
test; which was developed by the researchers.
One of the researchers taught the PBL lesson plans for 4 weeks 100 minutes per lesson (two lessons per week).
The data was collected by one of the researchers as the teacher and two teacher observers by using the access to
mathematics observation forms. Moreover, students reflections, teachers notes, and conceptual understanding exercises
were used to reflect on the students mathematics conceptual understanding and their access to mathematics in the
classroom. Additionally, six students were selected by their mathematical abilities (two high, two average, and two low
achievers) to be interviewed focusing on how they accessed to mathematics. Then, the conceptual understanding test was
provided to detect the students conceptual understanding related to concepts of functions and relations at the end of the
last lesson plan.
In this study, the five steps of PBL processes, adapted from Othman, Salleh, and Sulaimans work (2013), were
used to orchestrate the activities in the classroom, including 1) introduction to the problem 2) self-directed learning 3)
group meeting 4) presentation, and 5) exercises. All of five steps of the PBL processes are described as follows.
At the first step of the PBL processes, the teacher launched ill-structured real world problems (for 10 minutes) that
would trigger students intrinsic motivation and develop students taking ownership of the problems. At the end of the first
step, the teacher allowed the students to reflect on students reflection forms about how they got involved with the
problems. Meanwhile, the teacher and two teacher observers monitored and recorded students behaviors on the access to
mathematics observation forms.
At the second step, the teacher tried to connect the problem scenarios to students individual work by asking them
to identify the problem situation and what they need to know in order to solve the problem. The teacher; then, gave the
students the individual work assignment to do for 7-10 minutes. While the students were working on the tasks, the teacher
would walk around to help or support the students who need suggestions by using supportive or guided questions. In

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.3912

NAAS Rating: 2.72

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another word, the teacher would answer the students questions by asking them questions back in order to facilitate the
students thoughts. At the same time, two teacher observers still observed and recorded students behaviors. After finishing
the individual work, the students were asked to reflect on how they got engaged and how much effort they used in solving
the problems.
After finishing the second step, the teacher divided the students into six groups of six to seven students with
mixed mathematics abilities (two high, two average, and two low achievements). Then, the teacher gave each group the
assignment and let them discuss and share their ideas to find the solutions for 15 - 20 minutes. While the students were
working in their groups, the teacher would walk around to observe and facilitate the students who need help or loss their
focuses on group work. The two teacher observers still used the access to mathematics observation forms to observe and
record the students behaviors. After finishing the group work, the students were asked to prepare their findings or
information for classroom presentation. They were also asked to reflect on the students reflection forms about what role
they played in their groups and how often they shared their ideas to the groups.
At the next step, the students group works were selected to orderly present in the classroom based on
completeness of their works. The average complete group work would be the first one to present to the classroom; then, the
less complete group work would be the next one in order to generate classroom discussion. The most complete group work
would be the last one so that they could clarify their understanding of the concepts that they learnt.
Before the presentations, the students were told to pay attentions and prepare to ask questions after the presentations. While
group work was being presented to the class, the teacher would support the presenters when it needed. The teacher would
also ask the others to participate in whole class discussion. Later, the teacher would facilitate the students to reach the
conclusion about mathematics concepts that they had learnt together. Once more, the two teacher observers observed and
noted students behaviors on the access to mathematics observation forms. The students reflection form was used again at
the end of the presentation step to reflect on what they had been doing while the presentations and whole class discussion
were going on to detect the students participation.
In the last step of the PBL processes: exercises, conceptual understanding exercises were provided for the students
in order to check how deep conceptual understanding they had learnt and to clarify their understanding at the same time.
The collected data was analyzed in both qualitative and quantitative ways. The data from the access to
mathematics observation forms, students reflections, teachers notes, and students interview forms were analyzed by
descriptive analysis. Inclusion, the data from the conceptual understanding exercises and the conceptual understanding test
were evaluated by descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, and standard deviation).

RESULTS
In this study, the objectives were to investigate the access to mathematics and conceptual understanding of the 10th
grade students in a PBL classroom. The researchers used eight PBL lesson plan as the core of teaching instruction. The data
was collected by using the access to mathematics observation forms, students reflections, teachers notes, conceptual
understanding exercises, a conceptual understanding test, and students interview forms. According to these research
instruments, the researchers analyzed the data by the descriptive analysis and descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, and
standard deviation). The results were described along with the five steps of the PBL as the following details.

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Patiphat Tittha & Duanghathai Katwibun

At the first step: introduce to the problem, the findings showed that while the teacher was launching a problem
scenario and asking some questions, most students (approximately 70%) were interested in the problem. Although, they
might sometimes encounter unclarified situations; they tried to connect themselves to the problem and argue some emerged
issues with their classmates (see Figure 1). However, there were some students (approximately 30%) who did not pay
attention enough to the problem. As the results, they could not involve much in solving the problem and did not show their
ownership of the problem that much.
The evidence from the access to mathematics observation forms showed that the level of the access to
mathematics in the first step of the PBL: introduction to the problem was at level 2 (fair level). Most students (70% of all
students) showed their attentions and were often interested in the problem that the teacher launched, but there were still
some students (30% of the students) who paid less attentions in this step. Moreover, the data from the interviews of the six
different achievement students and their reflection forms showed at below (see table 1).
Table 1: The Interviews of Six Different Achievement Students about the First Step of PBL
Level of Students
Achievement

Students Expressions
They agreed that the problems mostly were very interesting; but
sometimes it was not because the problems were quite complicated and
it was easy to get confused and might cause them sometimes to give up
trying to get into that problem. However, they still tried to understand
the problem by asking their friends who sat next to them and tried to
answer some questions that the teacher asked to the classroom in order
to get better understandings of the problem scenarios.
Both average and low achievement students added up a different point
about the strategy they used; they tried to guess how the problem
scenarios were connected with the lessons.

Low

Average
High

In sum, it illustrated in the first step of the PBL classroom; although, the students somewhat did or did not get
through the problems at the beginning; they would try to participate in the class activities by thinking, answering the
questions and asking friends. It means that the students were able to access to the mathematics at some levels.

Figure 1: Students Participation in the First Step of the PBL Classroom

In the second step of the PBL classroom: Individual work, according to the observations, the interviews, students
reflections, and teachers notes, it showed that while the teacher assigned the individual work for all students, most
students (90%) tried their bests to solve the real world mathematics problems. Moreover, when they were struggling with
difficult problems, they would try to ask or compare their answers with their friends or try to ask the teacher for

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.3912

NAAS Rating: 2.72

Investigating the Access to Mathematics and Conceptual Understanding of

10th Grade Students in a Problem-Based
Based Learning (PBL)
(
Classroom

151

suggestions (see Figure 2). There was still some students (approximately 10%) who did not try to solve the problem;
although, the teacher tried to encourage them using supportive questions.
According to the data from the access to mathematics observation forms, it showed that the level of the access to
mathematics in the 2nd step was at level 3 (high level). Most students (more than 60% of all students) showed their attempts
to solve the problem in their individual work. Furthermore, according to the interviews of the six different achievement
students and their reflection forms,
rms, the results were at the following below (see table 2).
Table 2: The Interviews of Six Different Achievement Students about the Second Step of the PBL Classroom
Level of Students
Achievement

Low

Average
High

The Students Expressions

They said that the problem sometimes was quite difficult and confused,
so it was possible for them sometimes to give up trying to solve the
problems by themselves. Nonetheless, the interviews illustrated that
students tried to ask their friends how to solve the problem or tried to
compare
ompare the answer with their friend.
They tried to use their previous knowledge to solve the problems at first
and then if they still struggled with the problems, they would ask the
teacher or their friends.

In short, there was evidence supported that the students could access to the mathematics in the second step of the
PBL classroom: self-directed
directed learning by trying to solve the problem themselves.

Figure 2: Students Participation in the Second Step of the PBL Classroom

In the third
ird step of the PBL processes: group meeting, the students were divided into 6 small groups of 5-7
5
students in order to work and share their learning ideas in the smaller groups. The researchers found that, in each group,
most of group members shared their own ideas productively and were trying to make the groups learning concepts for
their presentation,
resentation, actively (see Figure 3). There were a few groups members who were trying to hide themselves from
their groups by paying less attention in sharing ideas or asking friends; although, the teacher tried to encourage them by
asking questions.

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Patiphat Tittha & Duanghathai Katwibun

Figure 3: Students Participation at the Third Step

The data from the access to mathematics observation forms could support the results above. It indicated that the
th
level of the access to mathematics in the third step of PBL was at level 2 (fair level). Most students (70% of all students)
apparently had been doing mathematics in their groups by sharing the individual ideas and managing the work members
roles in the groups. However, there were still some groups members who could not be participated in this step. According
to the interviews of the six different achievement students and their reflection forms, the results were at the following
below (see table 3).
Table
le 3: The interviews of six different achievement students about the third step of the PBL classroom
Level of Students
Achievement

Low

Average
High

The Students Expressions

They commented that group working provided them an opportunity to
share their own ideas to one another in the group and also learn more
things about those different ideas. However, they could not somehow
share their idea if most group members were too high ability because
the high ability group members could express all of the idea by their
own thinking without relying to the others. Nevertheless, if the idea
from the lower achievers at some point was essential, all of the group
members could accept that idea to be the groups ideas.
They said that their roles in the group were to think about the solutions
of the problem, and to share their ideas to the group and to collect the
other ideas before transform to be the groups ideas. However, if their
ideas sometimes were wrong; they still had to listen to the others. By
doing so, they could also learn something new from those shared ideas.

Based on the interviews; students reflections; and teachers notes, the teacher found that most group members
shared their ideas to the group; only a few members did not. Mostly, mixed abilities of group members helped all group
members to learn more about the mathematics through participating in talking and sharing ideas. It convinced that the
students were able to access to the mathematics in the third step of the PBL classroom: meeting in the group.
g
In the next step: presentation and discussion, the researchers found that the PBL context could support most
students to participate in the meaningful mathematics in classroom discussion, by doing so it means that most of the
students accessed in the classroom activities
The access to mathematics observation forms provided the evidence of this result. The researchers found that the
level of the access to mathematics in this step was at level 2 (fair level). Most students (70% of all students) showed their
attentions and their participations by asking questions to the presenters. However, there were quite a few of the students
who got less participations in the class at the forth step. By the interviews of the six different achievers and their reflection
reflec
forms, the supportive results were described (see table 4).
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.3912

NAAS Rating: 2.72

Investigating the Access to Mathematics and Conceptual Understanding of

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Table 4: The Interviews of Six Different Achievement Students about the Forth Step of the PBL Classroom
Level of Students
Achievement

Low

Average
High

The Students Expressions

They explained that group work presentation was quite very
interesting because there were the different ideas from each
group. They also claimed that its because of those different
idea, they could learn the new strategies in solving problem and
could also get the mathematics conceptual understanding
through whole class discussion. Moreover, when the class
discussion began and it was interesting, they could get involved
with the class easily by thinking along with and discussing with
their friends. However, they sometimes felt less challenge when
all group works were similar or the same.
Both average and low achievers showed similar notions. For
example, they tried to ask the presenters about the possible
solutions or alternative ways if some variables in the problems
were changed.

By this interviewing, students reflections, and teachers notes, these indicated that most students were
participated in the presentation and classroom discussion. Although, the group work presentation sometimes was less
challenge than what they were expected, they still tried to be involved to the class discussion by asking questions and
findings different solutions. In brief, most students (70% of all students) were able to access to the mathematics in the
fourth step: presentation and class discussion.
In the last step: Exercise, after the teacher provided the conceptual understanding exercises for the students, the
results showed that most students (approximately 90 %) could finish the exercises with the correct concepts. However,
there were still some students who had misconceptions in the mathematical symbols. For example, some students wrote the
Cartesian product with the {1, 2} instead of the {(1, 2)}. However, by the PBL teachers role, all of the misconceptions
could be fixed by the discussion at the beginning of the next lesson.
The evidence of the results was shown in the conceptual understanding exercises and the conceptual
understanding test. Despite of the conceptual understanding test was analyzed as the descriptive statistics; the researchers
found that the 38 students could pass the conceptual understanding test with 8.5 mean scores (out of 10 points) by the S.D.
= 1.58. With this result, it illustrated that most students had the mathematics conceptual understanding related to the
functions and relations concept in the PBL classroom.

CONCLUSIONS
As the results above, the researchers could claim as the two following points.

The access to mathematics: the researchers found that most of 10th grade students (about 80%) were engaged with
the classroom activities very well. Moreover, the students showed their participation in all five steps of the PBL
processes. In addition, after observations, the researchers also found that although there were some students who
did not adequately pay attentions while the problem scenarios were launched; the students could still understand
the problem scenarios since the roles of the PBL teacher in the class as a facilitator. The students could also do
their own individual work, intently. Additionally, the third and fourth steps of the PBL classroom: the group
meeting, the presentation was the place that the students obviously illustrated their access to mathematics.

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The mathematics conceptual understanding: the results above showed that in the PBL classroom, most of the 10th
grade students learnt about conceptual understanding related to relations and functions. Only a few of the students
had the misconception at some levels; nevertheless, the students misconception should be amended by using the
teachers roles in the PBL classroom.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The researchers would like to thank all of the people involved who inspired and commented the researcher to do
this study, including the teachers at mathematics department of Yupparaj Wittayalai School, the faculty members in
mathematics education program, Faculty of Chiang Mai University, the experts, the teacher observers, my friends, and my
family.
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Atherton, J. S. (2013). Learning and Teaching; Deep and Surface learning [On-line: UK] retrieved 13 December 2015 from
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Lithner, J. (2012). Learning mathematics by creative or imitative reasoning. Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on
Mathematical Education. Seoul, Korea.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM]. (2000). Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA:
NCTM.

Othman, H. & Others. (2013). 5 ladder of Active Learning: An Innovative Learning Steps in PBL Process. The 4th
International Research Symposium on Problem-Based Learning (IRSPBL).

Rubenstein, R. & Bright, G. (Eds). (2004). Perspectives on the Teaching of Mathematics. 2004 Yearbook of the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Reston, VA: NCTM.

Savin-Baden, M. and Major, C. (2004). Foundations of Problem-Based Learning. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Savin-Baden, M. (2003). Facilitating Problem-Based Learning: Illuminating Perspectives.Buckingham: Open University

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Schoenfeld, A. H., Floden, R. E., & the Algebra Teaching Study and Mathematics Assessment Project. (2014). An introduction
to the TRU Math Dimensions. Berkeley, CA & E. Lansing, MI: Graduate School of Education, University of California,
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Impact Factor (JCC): 4.3912

NAAS Rating: 2.72