Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

One of the major goals of education is to help students learn in ways that enable

them to use what they have learned in solving the problems in every new situation. In

other words, problem-solving is fundamental to education because educators are

inclined in improving student’s ability in solving problems (Mayer & Wittrock, 2006). A

problem-solving task in Mathematics initiates the learner’s higher cognitive skills which

lead them eventually as critical thinkers. However, it has been known that Mathematics

is a science of an intimidating field of discipline for every learner, and problem-solving

is not an easy task.

This scenario has been empirically observed by the researcher in Ngingir

Elementary School where the majority of the learners failed to perform simple

mathematical tasks. Mathematics educators were confronted with several problems

considering the cognitive ability of the learners. As observed by the researcher as a

teacher, students have lacked a grasp of procedural knowledge in mathematics

operation which can be attributed to the poor understanding of concepts and logical

skills in Mathematics. This led them to fail in problem-solving.

Problem-solving skills of the learners have been studied thoroughly. The success

and failure of the learners to performed problem-solving tasks can be attributed to

several factors, such as learners’ factors, teacher factors, and environmental factors.

However, none of these studies presented how the problem-solving skills of the

learners were affected given their conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge,

and logical skills when their cognitive flexibility was considered. The importance of

having complete comprehension and cognitive flexibility prepares every learner to face

a greater height of Mathematical skills to pursue more complicated Mathematics

knowledge in high school and college.

In the light of this problem, the researcher was challenged to uncover the

cognitive flexibility of the learners in Calanogas District and how this helps explain the

link between the causation of their mathematics cognitive ability to their problem-

solving skills. This served as a new challenge but at the same time a chance to expand

her repertoire of teaching Mathematics. Furthermore, the researcher reflected upon her

teaching practices and noticed her students struggled with word problems involving

higher-order thinking skills. Hence, this research was initiated to investigate the

connection between the cognitive ability of the learners and their problem-solving

skills, thereby, an enhancement program could be crafted and suited to their cognitive

flexibility and mathematical cognitive ability.