Elly Sukmanasa, Lina Novita, Eka Suhardi, Aries Maesya, Awiria Awiria, Faridatul 'ala

Students’ Motivation through Problem-based Learning with a Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) Approach in Mathematics Lessons

Introduction

Students’ motivation through problem-based learning with a culturally responsive teaching (crt) approach in mathematics lessons. This study reveals how Problem-based Learning (PBL) with Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) significantly increases 4th-grade students' motivation in mathematics lessons.

Abstract

Motivation is a person's inner desire to achieve a goal. Motivation can come from within oneself or from external or environmental factors. The two types of learning motivation are extrinsic (external) and intrinsic (deep). Rewards and praise for good work are examples of extrinsic motivation. These two types of motivation work together and strongly support learning success during the learning process, teachers must pay attention to student motivation. The purpose of this study was to analyze the motivation of fourth grade  students to learn mathematics with problem-based learning methods. This research was conducted by classroom action research study. Fourth grade students become subjects of this research. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and learning motivation questionnaires. The results showed that the average motivation score of students increased from cycle 1 to cycle 2. In Cycle I, the count was 66.37, but in Cycle II the count increased to 90.96. These results suggest that problem-based learning, combined with an instructive cultural approach (CRT) to the environment can significantly increase students' desire to learn as an alternative to improving student learning outcomes

Review

This study addresses a critical and highly relevant topic in educational research: student motivation in mathematics, particularly for elementary-aged learners. The proposed combination of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) with a Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) approach offers an innovative and timely strategy for engaging students. The abstract indicates a promising increase in students' motivation scores across two cycles of intervention, suggesting that this integrated pedagogical model holds potential for enhancing student desire to learn mathematics and subsequently improving learning outcomes. This initial finding positions the research as a valuable contribution to the ongoing efforts to make mathematics education more inclusive and effective. From a methodological standpoint, the use of a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design is appropriate for investigating and improving teaching practices within a specific classroom context. The multi-modal data collection through observation, interviews, and a learning motivation questionnaire strengthens the validity of the findings by providing different lenses into student experiences. However, the abstract would benefit from greater specificity regarding the implementation of the CRT approach within the PBL framework. Detailing *how* cultural responsiveness was integrated into the problem-solving tasks is crucial for understanding the mechanisms behind the observed increase in motivation. Additionally, while the numerical increase in motivation scores is presented, the abstract lacks information on the nature and validity of the "learning motivation questionnaire" and the statistical analysis performed, which is vital for substantiating the claim of a "significant increase." To maximize the impact and clarity of this research, the full paper should elaborate on the theoretical framework linking PBL and CRT to specific aspects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Providing concrete examples of the culturally relevant problems and teaching strategies would significantly enrich the understanding of the intervention. Furthermore, while CAR is context-specific, acknowledging the limitations of generalizability and framing the findings as indicative rather than definitive causal claims would be beneficial. Future research building on these preliminary results could explore the long-term effects of this approach, investigate its efficacy across different grade levels or cultural contexts, and employ more robust statistical analyses to validate the promising trends observed in this study. Despite these suggestions, the work presented here offers a compelling starting point for improving student engagement in mathematics.

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