Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

ANALYSIS OF ONLINE LEARNING DIFFICULTIES OF MATHEMATICS

IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Falah Alfarizi
falahalfrz@gmail.com
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Jl. Setiabudi No.229, Bandung 40154

ABSTRACT
In order to face the covid-19 pandemic, the government are implementing education system
through online learning at home. This study aims to determine the difficulties experienced by
students and teachers in implementing online learning of mathematics. Data collection methods
are used interviews to mathematics teachers and questionnaire to students. Students involved in
this study were 132 students from 21 different schools and 3 teachers from 3 different schools. The
results of this study stated that students and teachers basically have diffuiculties in implementing
online learning of mathematics during the pandemic covid 19. The most frequent difficulty was
the difficulty of signals and internet quota. Difficulties experienced by teachers include, 1) There
are still students who are late in participating in online learning, 2) Students whodo not always
active, actually inhibit the teacher in teaching so the teacher must contact students one by one. 3)
Students who do not have a smartphone late to collect assignments so that the impact on late
assessment, 4) Lack of understanding of the use of technology inhibits the creation of interactive
media for teaching online. Some difficulties experienced by students include, 1) students have
difficulty understanding the material because it is not explained directly, 2) studentscannot ask
questions or interact face to face with the teacher, 3) the teacher does not discuss or explain the
solution of the exercises given. so students didn’t know the error and students could not evaluate
the results of their own learning.

Keywords : Education, learning difficulties, online learning

ABSTRAK
Dalam menghadapi pandemic covid-19, pemerintah menerapkan sistem pendidikan
melalui pembelajaran online yang dilakukan di rumah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui
kesulitan-kesulitan yang dialami siswa dan guru dalam melaksanakan pembelajaran online mata
pelajaran matematika. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah wawancara kepada guru
matematika dan angket terbuka kepada siswa. Siswa yang terlibat dalam penelitian ini berjumlah
132 siswa dari 21 sekolah berbeda dan 3 orang guru dari 3 sekolah yang berbeda. Hasil penelitian
ini menyatakan bahwa siswa dan guru pada dasarnya mengalami kesulitan dalam pelaksanaan
pembelajaran online pada mata pelajaran matematika selama pandemic covid 19. kesulitan yang
dialami siswa dan guru yang paling sering ditemukan adalah susahnya sinyal dan kuota internet.
Kesulitan yang dialami oleh guru antara lain, 1) Masih adanya siswa yang terlambat mengikuti
 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
pembelajaran online, 2) Siswa yang tidak selalu aktif menghambat guru dalam melakukan
pengajaran sehingga guru harus menghubungi siswa satu per satu. 3) Siswa yang tidak memiliki
smartphone terlambat mengumpulkan tugas sehingga berdampak pada terlambatnya penilaian, 4)
Kurangnya pemahaman penggunaan teknologi menghambat pembuatan media interaktif untuk
mengajar secara online. Beberapa kesulitan yang dialami siswa antara lain, 1) siswa sulit
memahami materi karena tidak dijelaskan secara langsung, 2) siswa tidak bisa bertanya atau
berinteraksi secara tatap muka langsung dengan guru, 3) guru tidak membahas atau menjelaskan
solusi dari latihan soal yang diberikan. Sehingga siswa tidak mengetahui letak kesalahan dan tidak
bisa mengevaluasi hasil belajar sendiri.

Kata kunci : Pendidikan, kesulitan belajar, pembelajaran online

INTRODUCTION
Education is important thing for every country, because education is a tool for the
development of a nation. Former Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Daeod
Joesoef said that the resilience and strength of a nation is in the field of Education. Therefore the
role of education is very important in encouraging the progress of a nation. Without education,
national development will not develop and education must continue to be improved and in any
situation, education must continue.
In 2020 the covid-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. This virus spreads very quickly,
including to Indonesia, which is one of the countries affected by this coronavirus. The outbreak of
the covid-19 pandemic case since December 2019 until now requires that all teaching and learning
activities for students are temporarily carried out at home. The National Examination this year was
also abolished and replaced with a new assessment system that was set. This was done to minimize
mass physical contact so as to break the chain of the spread of the virus.
One effort that can be made in the face of this situation are distance learning with internet
networks. There are several terms for expressing ideas about distance learning by utilizing the
internet, namely: online learning, e learning, internet enabled learning, virtual learning, virtual
classroom or web based learning (Sihaan, 2003).
Online learning is a solution for students in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Almost all
educational institutions have switched to online-based learning in this time period. This will be a
new experience for many students. The learning policy is carried out through distance learning
with online media using mobile phones, PCs or laptops. This online media is considered effective
as a solution to prevent the spread of covid-19 in the field of education.
Online learning is one of learning by using electronic media. Online learning is one
example of e-learning that uses an internet network that connects students and teachers, so that
there is direct interaction in learning even in different spaces. Online learning is synchronous
learning because this learning requires the teacher to provide direct interaction without any delay
in answering. (Fatimah, 2014)
Debbagh & Bannan-Ritland (2005) define "Online learning is an open and distributed
learning environment that uses pedagogical tools, activated by the internet and web-based
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technology, to facilitate learning and build knowledge through meaningful action and interaction."
Thus online learning is expected to facilitate students in the learning process, especially in the mid
of this covid-19 pandemic.
In online learning has some advantages, they are include 1) the use of various media.
Learning material can be accessed from various media, for example from internet sites, material
can be : text, audio, graphics, animation can be downloaded so that is more interesting for students.
2) get the latest information. With online learning, teachers and students can get the latest
knowledge and information from the internet. 3) unlimited time and space. Students can determine
the time that is suitable for learning.
However, online learning has some disanvantages , they are include 1) the lack of
interaction between teacher and students or between students so that make it slow down
understanding in the teaching and learning process. 2) The tendency to ignore the academic aspects
or social aspects. 3) Not all places have internet facilities.
In the face of the covid-19 pandemic, the field of Education is busy with a variety of
policies that must be implemented. The solution implemented for now is an online learning system.
However, over time, many problems have appear from this online learning system because there
are still some educational institutions that are not ready yet to conduct online learning.
According to the most of students who participate in home learning programs, in its
adjustment, this online learning is confusing, because students are not ready yet. Some students
report that home learning programs are even more stressful than ordinary classes. Some common
reasons for this, are in line with the statement that normal classes have difficulties but,if they are
together with friends makes them more manageable and can reduce stress.
Many students who participate in online learning programs also said that online class
workload are greater than regular classes. Although the home learning program is very useful and
a good alternative for schools during the covid-19 pandemic, students still have to get used to it,
because many of them are inexperienced.
Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Anwar Makarim said that in the current
situation not all online learning will be optimal. Not all regions have smartphone access or a good
internet connection. So this is a challenging thing. But he still making sure the school can organize
online learning. The public can find various online learning applications that can be used for
learning at home. (Wahyu, 2020)
As stated by Balogun & Knapp (1996) that new technology is better than presentation
through textbooks. Moreover, they also said that the new technology was more effective than
presentation through learning in the class. Technology sometimes can be considered to replace the
position of teacher in carrying out learning in the classroom. This is not all true.
In online learning of mathematics subjects are found some difficulties experienced by
students and teachers. We know that mathematics is one of the subjects that is not easily taught
and not easily understood by students in general. In face-to-face learning, there are still many
students who have difficulty to understanding teacher explanations. likewise the teacher still has
difficulty in applying appropriate learning methods to students.
 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Learning difficulties are a combination of two words, that is difficulty and learning.
Poerwadarminta (2007: 121 & 1,156), "Difficulties are difficulties, while learning is gaining
intelligence". Learning difficulties is a condition where students cannot learn as they should, this
is not always caused by intelligence factors, but can also be caused by non-intelligence factors.
Ahmadi and Supriyono (2003: 77)
Although it has been realized that online learning can help improve the quality of education
and knowledge, its use has not been fully implemented especially during the covid-19 pandemic.
Because there are still many possible constraints in applying online learning of mathematics.
This study was focused on the difficulties experienced by students and teachers who
become an obstacle in implementing online learning of mathematics during the pandemic covid-
19. By knowing the difficulties experienced by both students and teachers, hope the students can
improve their study and find their own learning styles in online learning and also teachers can
apply appropriate learning methods and can continue to improve the effectiveness of online
learning so that online learning can continue to be used in the learning process going forward.

METHOD
The approach in this research uses a qualitative approach. The qualitative approach was
chosen to obtain more complete, in-depth data about the difficulties experienced by students and
teachers in online learning in mathematics during the Covid 19 epidemic.
Bogdan and Taylor (1992) in Basrowi and Suwandi (2008: 1) state that qualitative research
is one of the research procedures that produces descriptive data in the form of speech or writing
and the behavior of the people observed. Qualitative research is research in which problem solving
is carried out with power empirical.
This type of study is used intrinsic case study. Case studies are in-depth studies of
individuals, one group, one organization, one program of activities, and so on in a given time. The
aim is to obtain a complete and in-depth description of an entity. Intrinsic case study is studi to get
a better understanding of specific cases, this is due to special cases that attract attention.
The subjects in this study are junior high school students and junior high school teachers
of mathematics. Data collection techniques in this study used interviews and questionnairethrough
the online whatsapp application. Interview technique is the process of obtaining information for
research purposes by means of question and answer Informants are junior high school mathematics
teachers and junior high school students. Through the quistionaire, respondentcan fill as desired or
condition experienced so as the data obtained are various.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Planning Online Learning of Mathematics during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The preparations made by schools in implementing online learning begin with socialization
to teachers and students directly. Providing direction to students how online learning will be
carried out. Based on the results of the interview, junior high school mathematics teachers setting
learning tools and develop syllabus and lesson plans. Teachers setting online learning strategies as
 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
creatively as possible so that subject matter can be delivered to students optimally, and the teacher
also creates a new assessment system for students in this semester.

Implementation Online Learning of Mathematics during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Learning is an interaction between students and teachers in order to achieve learning
objectives. The relationship between students and teachers is a reciprocal relationship that plays
an active role in a framework with ways and frameworks of thinking that have been understood
and agreed upon together. Teachers are successful in teaching if occured changes in behavior and
personality of students towards better than before (Syamsudin, 2005: 156).
From the mathematics teacher’s perspective, based on the results of interviews with
concerned teachers from three different schools, in the process of implementing this online
learning using the whatsapp application or google classroom. Two of the teachers explained
teaching material using videos, voice messages, pictures of material summaries, or power points
followed by doing excercise after the material was explained. However, one other teacher carries
out online learning by giving assignments like exercises and students sending their answers
through WhatsApp.
To assess student activity, the teacher looks at whatsapp messages read by student contacts
on the day the math class is going on. The other assessments are from the collection of tasks given
by the teacher, student creativity, timeliness, and neatness of student learning outcomes.
In implementation, there are many problems that appear. One of the most frequently
encountered problems is the difficulty of internet quota or signal. Difficult to find signals or
internet quota hinder the process of online learning. According to one math teacher interviewed,
not all students are always active on whatsapp, so teachers must call one by one student so that all
students can take the lessons.
In making media for teaching such as power points, google forms, video taking, teachers
find some difficulties because they are not accustomed to teaching using interactive media,
especially teachers who have long taught. Lack of understanding of technology is an obstacles and
a challenge for teachers who carry out online learning in a covid-19 pandemic situation.
In addition, other obstacles that occur, often students are still asleep when learning will
begin so that students are late for the online class and there are also some students who do not
understand the application used, there are even students or parents of students who do not have a
smartphone so they must take turns with other family members or borrow from neighbors. This
certainly inhibit the online learning process. The implementation of online learning will not be
optimal if this problem always happen.
Then, from the student's perspective, all students following online learning according to
government regulations. Online learning is carried out through the whatsapp application and
google classroom. However, there are some difficulties experienced by students, one of the most
frequently encountered difficulties is the difficulty of finding a signal and not having enough quota.
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As many as 65.9% of students have difficulty in internet network problems. Other things can be
seen from the results of the open questionnaire distributed about the difficulties experienced by
junior high school students in learning mathematics online during the pandemic covid-19. The
results of the questionnaire are following :

From the diagram, it appears that 71% of students have difficulty implementing online learning of
mathematics. Difficulties experienced by students are include:
1. Hard to find a signal.
2. Difficulty in understanding the formula because it is not explained directly
3. Can not ask and interact directly with the teacher
4. If there is an explanation from the teacher, the explanation given is not clear.
5. There are teachers who only give assignments without explaining the material.
6. The assessment given by the teacher is not satisfying and the teacher does not give an
explanation of the tasks given so students do not know where the mistakes are and cannot
evaluate learning outcomes independently.
Then, the percentage of students in understanding the material is explained by the teacher are
following :
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54.5% of students did not understand the explanation given by the teacher online. The causes
include, students are not accustomed to carrying out online mathematics learning, explanations
given by teachers are unclear, students cannot ask directly about material that is difficult to
understand, and there are students who do not study independently outside of mathematics learning
hours. Most of students prefer and find it easier to carry out mathematics learning in class as usual.
Next, the methods carried out by the teacher in teaching mathematics online, are following
:

50.8% of students were only given assignments and exercises, 8.3% of teachers explained the
material through video or voice messages, 34.1% of the teachers explained the material and gave
the exercises, and 6.8% of students searched for the material themselves without guided by the
teacher. It is also known that the most of students said that the teacher did not discuss the exercises
given to students so students did not know the errors in solving problems and students could not
evaluate their own learning outcomes. In addition, students also find it difficult to asking questions
or interact directly with teachers related to material or problems that are difficult to understand.
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Based on the result of questionnaire, although the closing of schools does have a solution
where students are still able to learn, the true sufferers of the government order of school closings
are the students in less fortunate situations and the students who are in schools that are not well
funded or students who experience problems in the internet network. This makes many students
who are in a bad place unable to receive education optimally.
According to Cathy and Farah (2020), "For those who have access to the right technology,
there is evidence that online learning can be more effective in several ways, some research shows
that on average students retain 25% - 60% more material when learning online compared to only
8% - 10% in classrooms. In large part, this is because students can learn faster online, e-learning
requires 40% - 60% less time to study than in the classroom, because students can learn at their
own pace, go back and reread, skip or accelerating through the concept of their choice. " Based on
this statement, it is said that online learning can be more effective for those who have access to the
right technology, it is mean that online learning is more effective if students have adequate quotas,
networks and signals. So, if students do not have access to the right technology, online learning
will not be effective.
From the analysis and discussion of the difficulties experienced by students and junior high
school mathematics teachers in the online learning process of mathematics subjects during the
Covid-19 pandemic, it is found that there are many difficulties that hamper the optimal
implementation of online learning. The difficulties experienced by students become difficult for
teachers too. The problems most often found in online learning is the difficulty of the internet
network, not having a quota, even not having a smartphone, so the teaching process is not delivered
optimally.

CONCLUSION
Based on the results, it can be concluded that the difficulty experienced by students and
teachers in implementing online learning is the difficulty of finding signals and quotas. Then,
students who are not always active inhibit the teacher in the learning process so the teacher must
call students one by one so that all students can follow the lesson well. The unclear teacher
explanation makes students can't understand the material provided and students find it difficult to
asking questions or interact directly with the teacher about material that is difficult to understand.
Difficulties experienced by students in understanding the task given by the teacher in the
future the teacher can give the answer key to the task or discuss the task that are not understood
by students. So students can find out the errors in completing exercises and students can evaluate
their own learning outcomes that students have done. Thus the difficulties that occur can be
minimized so that online learning can be more optimal.
Then, in the process of implementing online learning, teachers, students, and parents are to
be able to work together so that learning can go according to common goals and run according to
the set time, and parents must always actively monitoring student learning activities at home.
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