Kesalahan Penyelesaian Soal Cerita Pecahan pada Siswa Kelas IV SD: Analisis Berdasarkan Teori Newman dan Gaya Kognitif

Abstract

This study aims to identify and analyze the types of errors made by fourth-grade elementary school students in solving mathematical word problems on fractions, based on Newman's Error Analysis and viewed from the perspective of cognitive styles. This research employed a descriptive qualitative approach, involving 69 fourth-grade students from two elementary schools in Malang City as participants. The study was conducted through several stages: (1) categorizing students based on their cognitive style using the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), (2) administering a validated word problem test on fraction material, (3) analyzing students' errors based on Newman's theory, and (4) conducting in-depth interviews with 14 students (7 field-independent and 7 field-dependent) to confirm the types of errors made. The results showed that the most common error was transformation error (31.41%), followed by comprehension error (24.15%). Most students (86.96%) were identified as having a field-dependent cognitive style, while only 13.04% were field-independent. The two cognitive style groups demonstrated different error patterns: field-independent students tended to make more transformation, process skills, and encoding errors, while field-dependent students frequently made reading and comprehension errors. These findings have important implications for mathematics teaching practices in elementary schools, particularly in designing instructional strategies that consider students’ cognitive styles to help reduce errors in solving mathematical word problems.