MIRROR CONCEPTS IN SOLVING INTEGER BASED QUESTIONS HOTS FOR

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Widhi Guniarti1 & Sutama2
Mathematics Education Study Program, Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta
A410200011@student.ums.ac.id
sutama@ums.ac.id

Abstracts
The concept of solving math problems is very necessary. There are two research objectives in
this article. (1) Describe conceptual errors in solving HOTS-based integer arithmetic operation
questions among junior high school female students. (2) Describe conceptual errors in solving
HOTS-based integer arithmetic operation questions among junior high school male students.
The overall type of research is mix methods. The research in this article is qualitative
ethnography. Research subjects, class VII students at State Junior High School 13 Surakarta.
Data collection techniqueobservation, interviews, and documentation. Validity of data,
triangulation of sources and methods. Data analysis techniques, flow methods. The results of
the research, (1) the percentage of conceptual errors in working on integer operations among
female students was 66%. (2) the percentage of conceptual errors in working on integer
operations among male students is 73%. This means that female students have lower
conceptual errors than male students
Keywords: integers, conceptual errors, male students, female students

Introduction
In development and science, mathematics is a basic science that has a very important
role. (Anugrah A, Pujiastuti h, 2020) Mathematics is a science of multilevel reasoning starting
from concrete to abstract by paying attention to the process of interrelationships between
material substances, using appropriate formulas and symbols and using appropriate concepts.
According to (Nurlaila, S, Sariningsih, R, & Maya, R, 2020) Mathematics is the main subject
or in other words, mathematics is the most basic science that is useful in social life, apart from
that, mathematics is also an essential subject at secondary school level. (Sariningsih, R &
Purwasih R, 2017) believes that mathematics education can encourage Indonesian society to
always progress, as evidenced by the many modern technologies created from mathematics.
Likewise according to (Novtiar & Arifin, 2017) Every human activity must be related to
mathematics. In mathematics, critical, analytical and systematic thinking is taught to solve
problems both in formal environments and in social life. Mathematics is always synonymous
with concepts and students are always required to understand the concepts in mathematics
Mastery of mathematical concepts is very important to learn and understand well. This
will make it easier for students to solve mathematical problems if they understand the concept.
This was stated by (Putra et al., 2018) that students who understand mathematical concepts will
have high self-confidence in solving mathematical problems. Likewise according to (Aripin &
Purwasih, 2017) Students must master existing concepts if they want to understand a subject
regarding mathematics, so that problems can be faced and solved. In line with what was stated
by(Fitriani et al., 2018) that a mathematical concept must be built in students' minds through a
meaningful learning process that is not distributed directly or emphasizes students only
memorizing. Therefore, mastery of concepts is very important, just as in any subject there must
be mastery of concepts, including in mathematics.
Students' mistakes in understanding a mathematical concept will have an impact on
solving mathematical problems and will certainly affect the next level, because mathematics
has a foundational nature, every mathematical concept is interrelated and is a prerequisite for
studying other material. According to (Nurjanatin, I., Sugondo, G., & Manurung, MM H, 2017)
stated that the mistakes made by students when working on mathematics problems were in
translating the questions, conceptual errors, strategy errors and errors in mathematical
operations. One of them is about mixed integer arithmetic operations. The concept of integer
operations is an important concept to master. Integer counting operations are the basis of
mathematics for students to master optimally so that they do not have difficulty in subsequent
activities (Pantara Putri, Geminia; Huda, Nizlel;, 2021). Material on integer counting
operations already exists in elementary schoolsbut there is also material at the beginning of
secondary school level, which is of course at a more complicated level than elementary school.
For junior high school students, by understanding the properties of arithmetic operations on
integers, students are able to solve problems in everyday life.
High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) is a thinking ability that is not only the skill of
remembering, understanding, and applying but also the skill of analyzing, evaluating, and
creating (widana, 2017). Minister of Education and Culture Regulation No. 22 of 2016
concerning basic and secondary education process standards for assessing knowledge aspects
is divided into 5 levels, namely remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing and
evaluating. This shows that there are two levels in the cognitive domain which include Higher
Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). The aim of providing HOTS questions is to improve students'
thinking abilities at a higher level. According to the regulation of the Minister of Education
and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 54 of 2013, the national exam questions that are
held should include questions at the HOTS level in order to create quality human resources
(HR) who are able to solve problems in everyday life.
Each individual has different abilities in understanding and solving a problem. This can
be caused by several factors, one of which is gender. Gender is a biological characteristic that
constructs social culture regarding men and women (Sari, Ilmiyah, & Lestari, 2021). Azizah et
al added that gender is a social and culturally constructed gender difference that is related to
roles, behavior and traits that are considered appropriate for men and women which can be
exchanged. (Azizah, Mustari, Himayah, & Masse, 2016). Based on the definition above, it can
be interpreted that gender is a difference between the sexes related to the characteristics and
behavior of men and women which are constructed by society and culture. (Dhilla, Hidayat, &
Rohaeti, 2017) In his research, women tend to be superior in the fields of language and writing,
while men are superior in the field of mathematics because their spatial abilities are better. In
line with research conducted by (Sari, Ilmiyah, & Lestari, 2021) Male students have higher
critical thinking abilities than female students. Contrary to this research, according to the
mathematics subject teacher at State Middle School 13 Surakarta, female students are actually
more prominent than male students. Thus, further research is needed regarding critical thinking
skills in solving HOTS-based mathematics questions for male and female students.
This research aims to describe errorsconcepts in solving HOTS-based integer
arithmetic operation questions for female Junior High School students and explaining
conceptual errors in solving HOTS-based integer arithmetic operation questions for male
Junior High School students.

Research methods
The overall type of research is mix method. This article's research is qualitative
ethnography. According to (Sutama, Hidayati, & Novitasari, 2019) This research is a research
method used to study and describe a phenomenon in depth, complexly, focusing on
understanding the meaning, interpretation and social context of the data. Ethnographic research
is an attempt to interpret an action from an incident that happened to students that we want to
understand systematically (Sutama et al, 2020).
The location of this research is at State Junior High School 13 Surakarta. The subjects
of this research were students of class VII-D State Junior High School 13 Surakarta. Class
selection is based on recommendations from mathematics subject teachers with the
consideration that students in class VII-D have a better understanding of concepts and thinking
skills in mathematics lessons compared to other classes.
Data collection techniquecarried out by observation, interviews and documentation.
Observation is the first step in data collection. Observations are carried out before the test takes
place by analyzing the conditions that occur in the field in order to carry out a more in-depth
study. Interviews are a data collection technique in the form of question and answer interactions
between researchers and sources. This research uses semi-structured interviews where the
implementation is freer compared to structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews aim to
find more open-ended problems with those interviewed being asked for their ideas and opinions
(Williny, Halim, Sutarno, Nugroho, & Hutabarat, 2019). Documentation is carried out as
evidence to strengthen research. Documentation in this research is in the form of photos of the
subject's process of taking the test, the results of the subject's work, the interview process and
observations. Documentation during the research is attached in the attachment.
Validity of data using triangulation of methods and sources. Method triangulation by
examining data from the same source using different methods. Meanwhile, source triangulation
was carried out by examining data that had been obtained from various sources (Sutama, 2022)
Analysis techniquesdata using the flow method (main, 2022). Data analysis process,
namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The data
analysis steps can be summarized in the chart below.

Figure 1. Data analysis steps

a. Data reduction
Data simplification is carried out by changing raw data into meaningful information,
making it easier to draw conclusions.
b. Data Presentation
Data presentation is a collection of information used to help draw conclusions.
Meanwhile, the data identification process to determine subjects in this research used
purposive sampling techniques.
c. Drawing Conclusions
Drawing conclusions is the final stage in data analysis. The compiled data is compared
with one another to draw conclusions.

Results and Discussion

This description presents an analysis of students' misconceptions based on gender. This
analysis includes the percentage of each type of conceptual error experienced by students in
solving HOTS-based integer operation problems in class VII students at State Junior High
School 13 Surakarta.
 The results of the concept error test given to students are assessed using concept error
indicators. These indicators are from 3 stages, namely not being able to restate the concept(I1),
unable to explain concepts sequentially(I2), and unable to present concepts in various
mathematical representations(I3).
1. Misconceptions of Female Students
Conceptual errors made by female students in solving integer operation problems can
be seen from table 1 below:
Table 1. Number and Percentage of Misconceptions by Female Students
Question Number of Errors Percentage
No
𝐼1 𝐼2 𝐼3 (%)

1 5 8 3 48
2 10 12 12 84
Amount 15 20 15 132
Average 8 10 8 66

Based on table 1. The female student group had a percentage of conceptual errors in
question number 1 of 48% and a percentage of conceptual errors in question number 2 of 84%.
The overall average was 66%. The following is a description of the test and interview results
of the selected subjects.
a. In mathematics competitions, each correct answer is given a value, incorrect and
unanswered. From the questions given, Budi answered 36 correctly and 5 incorrectly.
Did Budi get a score of 117? Give your reasons!4 − 2 − 150
The following are the answers of the female student subjects seen in Figure 1.
 Translation

known: Mathematics competition, each correct 4, wrong = -2, not

answered -1. Of the 50 questions, Budi answered 36 correct and 5 wrong

asked: is the Budi score 117? give your reasons

so: 36x4=144

5x-2=-10x144=-1440

So the result is -1440

Figure 2. Answer of female subject number 1

From Figure 1. The subject has been able to understand contextual problems correctly
and is able to describe the relationship between the concepts used to solve the problem. Judging
from the first indicator, the subject was unable to restate the concept, as evidenced by doing it
instantly without writing down the complete procedure. The indicator that the two subjects are
not able to explain the concepts sequentially is proven by the students' work which is only to
multiply true and false according to the known questions. The subject should look for the
number of questions that were wrong and the number of questions that were not answered. The
reason students do this is because the subject does it quickly without knowing the actual
process. For the third indicator, subjects are accustomed to presenting concepts in various
mathematical representations. This is proven by the subjects who have been interviewed,
namely that they are used to working on questions by writing down what they know and what
was previously asked.
b. Known is defined as adding the square of the first number to the second number, then
subtracting 4 times the third number.𝑥 ∗ 𝑦 ∗ 𝑧
Result of−4 ∗ (−2) ∗ 8 =
The following are the students' subject answersThe woman is seen in Figure 2.
 Translation

known: x*y*z is defined as the sum of the squares of the first number and the
second number.

Asked: -4*(-2)*8=

So: -4*-2 = -−42 * -2

= -8*-2

= 10

:8*10 = 82 *10

= 16*10

= 26

So teh result is 26
Figure 3. Answer of female subject number 2
From Figure 2. The subject still has difficulty understanding contextual problems
correctly and is less able to describe the relationship between the concepts used to solve the
problem. Judging from the first indicator, the subject was able to restate the concept, proven
by writing down the procedure completely, but there were errors in understanding the question.
The indicator for the two subjects is that they are unable to explain the concepts sequentially,
as evidenced by the work of students who have explained the concepts for the first and second
commands, but have misunderstood the calculations. The third command is supposed to
multiply the third number by 4 and subtract the result of the second command, but the subject
squares the third number. For the third indicator, subjects are accustomed to presenting
concepts in various mathematical representations. This is proven by the subjects who have been
interviewed, namely that for question number 2 they are used to working on questions by
writing down what they know and what was previously asked.
2. Misconceptions of Male Students
Conceptual errors made by female students in solving integer operation problems can
be seen from table 2. Below:
 Table 2. Number and Percentage of Concept Errors for Male Students
Question Number of Errors Percentage
No
𝐼1 𝐼2 𝐼3 (%)

1 8 10 6 64
2 12 11 10 82
Amount 20 21 16 146
Average 10 11 8 73

Based on table 2, the male student group had a percentage of conceptual errors in
question number 1 of 64% and a percentage of conceptual errors in question number 2 of 82%.
The overall average was 73%. The following is a description of the test and interview results
of the selected subjects.
a. In mathematics competitions, each correct answer is given a value, incorrect and
unanswered. From the questions given, Budi answered 36 correctly and 5 incorrectly.
Did Budi get a score of 117? Give your reasons!4 − 2 − 150
The following are the male students' answers as seen in Figure 3.

Translation

True = 4

false = -2

not answered = -1

Budi answered correctly 36 questions = 4 x 36 = 144 - 5 wrong

= 144 - 10 points = 134

So the points Budi received was 134

Figure 4. Answer of male subject number 1

From Figure 2. The subject still has difficulty understanding contextual problems
correctly and is less able to describe the relationship between the concepts used to solve the
problem. Judging from the first indicator, the subject was unable to restate the concept, proven
by doing it instantly without writing down the complete procedure, so that a concept was
missed. The indicator for the two subjects is that they are unable to explain the concepts
sequentially, as evidenced by the work of students who do not explain the concepts correctly.
Subjects work according to what they know about the questions without looking for
unanswered questions. For the third indicator, subjects are not yet accustomed to presenting
concepts in various mathematical representations. This was proven by the subjects who were
interviewed, namely that they only wrote down what they knew about the question without
writing down what was asked in the question.
b. Known is defined as adding the square of the first number to the second number, then
subtracting 4 times the third number.𝑥 ∗ 𝑦 ∗ 𝑧
Result of−4 ∗ (−2) ∗ 8 =
The following are the male students' answers as seen in Figure 4.

Figure 5. Answer of male subject number 2

From Figure 2. The subject still has difficulty understanding contextual problems
correctly and is less able to describe the relationship between the concepts used to solve the
problem. Judging from the first indicator, the subject was unable to restate the concept, proven
by doing it instantly without writing down the complete procedure, so there was an error in the
sign which should have been added but the subject wrote subtracted and did not multiply the
third number by 4. The second indicator was that the subject was unable to explain the concept.
sequentially, proven by the work of students who do not explain the concept, proven by the
subject only following the first command, namely just squaring while ignoring the second
command and when. For the third indicator, subjects are not yet accustomed to presenting
concepts in various mathematical representations. This is proven by the subjects who have been
interviewed, namely that for question number 2 they are not used to working on questions by
writing down what they know and what was previously asked.
Based on the explanation of the findings above, it can be seen that male subjects
experienced more conceptual errors compared to female subjects. This is shown in the
average table data obtained and the percentage of errors for female students is 66% and male
students are 73%. This is supported by research (Wardani et al) which states that female
students' critical thinking abilities are better than male students. (Nurrahmah, 2018) revealed
in his research that women have more developed right brains which are more directed
towards verbal abilities. Apart from being supported by their verbal abilities, female students
are more active during learning so that female students have a better understanding of
mathematical concepts than male students.
Clonclusion
Female students can process and respond to information more quickly than male
students. Female students are actually more careful, detailed, and work on the problems given
systematically. Female students tend to be more critical and careful about the mathematical
problems given so that the steps given are more precise.
When solving a given problem, male students tend to use shorter methods than female
students. Male students are able to convey back the information contained in the problem and
collect elements related to the problem well and tend to be brief. Male students are relatively
superior in questions with indicators of providing simple explanations and tend to use methods
that they think are easier.
We would like to express our thanks to various parties who have supported this research
activity. We would like to express our thanks to the Dean of FKIP Muhammadiyah University
of Surakarta and his staff and the Head of the Mathematics Study Program, who have provided
facilities and encouragement so that we can carry out research. We would also like to express
our thanks to the principal, teachers and students of State Junior High School 13 Surakarta,
Central Java, who have helped the research process so that it went according to plan.

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