Students' mental model in solving the patterns of generalization problem

Mental models are representations of students' minds concepts to explain a situation or an on-going process. The purpose of this study is to describe students' mental model in solving mathematical patterns of generalization problem. Subjects in this study were the VII grade students of junior high school in Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia. This study was conducted using the qualitative descriptive method to investigate students' mental model during the process of solving the problem of generalization patterns. Students were required to speak aloud what he or she was thinking about solving problems (think-aloud). Based on the data obtained, the students' mental models in solving the patterns of generalization problem can be classified into two kinds of mental models, namely: (1) direct mental model and (2) indirect mental model. Students classified using direct mental model were using the only generalization of algebraic in solving the problem. Meanwhile, students classified using indirect mental model were using a combination of both generalizations of algebraic and arithmetic. Based on the results of the study, teachers are required to take into account students' mental model in solving the generalization patterns problem to achieve better learning process.