The Effects of Open Approach Instruction Integrated with Polya’s Problem-Solving Process on the Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability of Grade 10 Students

Abstract

This study aimed to: (1) develop learning activities based on the Open Approach integrated with Polya’s problem-solving process for Grade 10 students to achieve an efficiency criterion of 70 percent, and (2) compare students’ learning achievement and mathematical problem-solving ability before and after the implementation of the instructional approach. The research employed a pre-experimental design using a one-group pretest–posttest design. The sample consisted of 45 Grade 10/2 students selected through cluster random sampling. The research instruments included: (1) seven lesson plans totaling 23 instructional hours; (2) a mathematical problem-solving ability test (difficulty index ranging from 0.65 to 0.75, discrimination index of 0.30, and reliability coefficient of 0.71); and (3) a learning achievement test (difficulty index ranging from 0.30 to 0.77, discrimination index ranging from 0.27 to 0.97, and reliability coefficient of 0.87). Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, one-sample t-test, and dependent t-test.
The findings revealed that:
1. The developed learning activities achieved an efficiency of 78.70 percent, which exceeded the specified criterion.
2. The students’ post-learning achievement averaged 81.22 percent, which was higher than the 70 percent criterion. In addition, the students’ mathematical problem-solving ability after the intervention (mean = 16.22, or 81.11%) was significantly higher than before the intervention (mean = 9.78, or 48.89%) at the .05 level. These results indicate that the Open Approach integrated with Polya’s problem-solving process effectively enhances students’ mathematical problem-solving skills and improves their learning achievement.