Number Sense Ability in Relatioan to Students' Cognitive Styles

Abstrak

This study aims to reveal the number sense abilities of eighth-grade students viewed from reflective and impulsive cognitive styles. This is an exploratory study using a qualitative approach. Data were collected through the MFFT (Matching Familiar Figure Test), number sense tests, in-depth interviews, and documentation. Data analysis was conducted through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing, with time triangulation used to ensure data credibility. The results showed significant differences between students with reflective and impulsive cognitive styles. Students with a reflective cognitive style tended to solve problems using approaches that were not only procedural but also conceptual and systematic. Reflective students demonstrated strong understanding of number concepts and operations, showing flexibility in thinking and selecting appropriate strategies. In contrast, students with an impulsive cognitive style tended to answer quickly without systematic consideration. Impulsive students often relied on intuition in solving mathematical problems, which led to many conceptual errors in comparing, manipulating, and performing arithmetic operations with fractions. However, with proper guidance, impulsive students were able to improve their thinking patterns and began to apply more effective strategies. These findings indicate that cognitive style plays a significant role in shaping students’ number sense abilities and can serve as a reference for more adaptive mathematics learning.

Kata kunci

• Learning
• Number sense
• cognitive style