Mathematical Literacy Review on PISA-Type Mathematics Tasks

A Focus on the Quantity Content

Abstract

Mathematical literacy refers to students’ ability to think logically in mathematical terms, as well as to formulate, employ, and interpret mathematics within real life contexts, as assessed by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This study aims to describe students’ mathematical literacy skills in solving PISA-type mathematical problems with a specific focus on the quantity content. The research employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive method. The study was conducted in one ninth-grade class at junior high school 6 Jambi City, involving 37 students as research subjects. The research instruments consisted of PISA-based quantity content test items and in-depth interviews to explore students’ thingking processes. This study refers to the indicators of mathematical literacy processes, including: (1) formulating situations mathematically; (2) employing mathematical concepts, facts, procedures, and reasoning; and (3) interpreting, applying, and evaluating mathematical outcomes. The findings indicate that students in the low category (54.05%) met only the “employ” indicator, those in the medium category (40.54%) met the “formulate” and “employ” indicators, while students in the high category (5.4%) fulfilled all indicators “formulate, employ and interpret. Futher analysis reveals that students still strunggle to formulate mathematical representations from given contexts and to reinterpret their solutions. These results highlight the need to integrate PISA-based contextual problems into mathematics instruction to enhance students’ higher-order thinking and mathematical literacy, there by supporting effective decision-making in real-life situations.