P-ISSN 2527-5615

E-ISSN 2527-5607

Kalamatika: Jurnal Pendidikan Matematika

Volume x, No. x, September xxxx, pages xx-xxx

ANALYSIS CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF INTEGER

DIVISION OF PROSPECTIVE MADRASAH IBTIDAIYAH TEACHERS

Dzikra Fu’adiah 1, Pipih Nurhayati 2, Mario Emilzoli3

1
Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Siliwangi Bandung, Indonesia
dzikra@stai-siliwangi.ac.id
2
Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Siliwangi Bandung, Indonesia,
pipih@stai-siliwangi.ac.id
3
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
emilzoli@upi.edu

ABSTRACT
This study aims to investigate prospective MI teachers’ knowledge of the sign of the division result of integers;
skill in illustrating of the division model of integers and in operating the integer division. Through a
descriptive-qualitative research approach, this study provides a comprehensive description of prospective MI
teachers' work on integer division problems. The results of this study have the potential to be the basis for
improving the learning process, curriculum, and training programs for prospective MI teachers. The
participants are secondary students of PGMI program who have completed lectures with integer division
material. Prospective MI teachers had the right knowledge about the sign of the division result of integers.
Prospective MI teachers illustrated the division models of integers in 4 categories: (1) not being able to
illustrate the division models of integers, (2) illustrating integer division models incorrectly, (3) illustrating
integer division models correctly but not using their understanding, and (4) illustrating integer division models
correctly and understandably. MI prospective teachers' skills in operating division of integers by using
downward division by separating integer signs correctly, using downward division by combining integer signs
correctly, using downward division by combining integer signs incorrectly, not explaining any way in operating
integers.

ARTICLE INFORMATION
Keywords Article History
Prospective teacher
Division concept Submitted Apr 21, 20xx
Revised Nov 11, 20xx
Accepted Nov 28, 20xx

Corresponding Author
Dzikra Fu’adiah
STAI Siliwangi Bandung
Jalan Terusan Jend. Sudirman, Kebon Rumput, Kota Cimahi
Email: dzikra@stai-siliwangi.ac.id

How to Cite
Surname-1, Initial of First & Middle name-1., Surname-2, Initial of First & Middle name-2., & Surname-3,
Initial of First & Middle name-3. (20xx). Your Title Here. Kalamatika: Jurnal Pendidikan Matematika, X(X),
XX-XX.

https://doi.org/10.22236/KALAMATIKA.volXnoX.20XXppXX-XX
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2 KALAMATIKA, Volume xx, No. xx, November xxxx, pages xx-xx

INTRODUCTION
Concepts can be likened to stones in thinking. Concept is one of the objects of
Mathematics learning materials (Soemoenar & Noornia, 2014). Understanding mathematical
concepts in mathematics learning principles is stated in (NCTM, 2000) that students learn
mathematics requires active understanding to build new learning experiences from prior
knowledge. The understanding of mathematical concepts is a fundamental principle to achieve
meaningful Mathematics learning (Yulianty, 2019). Concepts in mathematics do not stand
alone, but have a relationship with other concepts (Purwandari & Wahyuningtyas, 2017).

Students' understanding of integer division and multiplication material is still low.

Mathematics learning faced by students in their learning only remembers things that are
visible, so students in elementary school (SD/MI) seem difficult to understand and understand
the division and multiplication material because the learning objectives are not concrete. A
study found that students are required to master the division and multiplication of integers
only by instilling the concept that numbers with the same sign if multiplied or divided then the
result is positive and if two numbers with opposite signs if multiplied or divided then the result
is negative (Sukenti, 2014). Students score below the KKM because they do not have an
understanding of the arithmetic operations of division and multiplication of whole numbers in
concrete form. This description encourages researchers to find out the extent of understanding
of the concept of division of integers of prospective MI teachers as individuals who will
become MI teachers who plan and organize learning in the classroom.

Teachers are still one of the main sources in the classroom learning process for
students. So, what students should do, depends on the teacher's orders. Teachers have a big
role starting from students' success in solving problems to success in curriculum reform in
mathematics which ultimately still returns to the teacher (Abu-Elwan, 2000). Madrasah
Ibtidaiyah (MI) teachers' understanding of whole number division material is important to
analyze because it can be important information about identifying prospective teachers' ability
to understand a material.

In a study of prospective MI teachers, it showed a weakness in understanding the basic

concepts or prerequisites of algebra in these prospective teacher students. One of the basic
concepts is division of integers. Thus, teacher education and training programs need to
 Fu’adiah, Nurhayati, & Emilzoli 3

strengthen the understanding of basic concepts or algebra prerequisites so that prospective

teachers have a correct and in-depth understanding (Nurlita et al., 2016). From the results of
interviews conducted with prospective Mathematics teachers, there are five difficulties
experienced, namely solving integer division problems, algebraic manipulation and
recognizing structures in algebraic expressions that match the division algorithm or definition
of divisibility, distinguishing variables and parameters in division problems presented in
algebraic expressions, linking division algorithms and definitions, and applying properties and
theorems of divisibility (Fitrianti et al., 2020). The main cause of errors and misconceptions is
superficial understanding, which is most likely caused by teachers rushing to complete an
extensive syllabus, and as a result, students are forced to memorize rules due to superficial
understanding (Khalid & Embong, 2019). More focused, one of the factors that influence the
difficulty of understanding the concept of division calculation operations is the teacher factor
(Unaenah et al., 2022). Based on some of these research results, no one has comprehensively
described the understanding of division of Integers of prospective MI teachers. Most of them
only produce an overview of the misconceptions or errors of prospective teachers or students
towards a particular concept in the field of Mathematics.

Teacher mastery of teaching materials is a professional competence that teachers must

have before starting learning in the classroom. The scope of MI / SD mathematics material is
four, namely (1) numbers which include integers, round, prime, fractions, multiples and
factors, simple powers and roots, and their operations which include addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division (2) geometry and measurement which include flat and spatial
shapes, relationships between lines, weight, length, area, volume, angle, time, speed, and
discharge, location and coordinates of an object, (3) statistics which includes the
presentation and interpretation of single data, and (4) algebra and of course along with solving
daily life problems. Based on this scope, the material that must be mastered by teachers is
integers which includes integer division operations. Teachers must have a good understanding
and ability to operate integer division as early as possible before implementing learning. If
teachers do not understand the concept of integer division correctly, they may give wrong
explanations to students. This can lead to students understanding the concept in the wrong way
or even not understanding it at all (Rohmah, 2015). Furthermore, if teachers are not aware of
the common misconceptions that students often experience in division integers, they may not
4 KALAMATIKA, Volume xx, No. xx, November xxxx, pages xx-xx

be able to identify and correct students' errors effectively.

This may cause students continue to maintain the student's misconceptions. In this
study, prospective MI teachers are students of the Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education
(PGMI) program. As prospective MI teachers, PGMI study program students who will plunge
into MI teachers must master the material of Numbers and Counting Operations in
Mathematics 1 (Numbers and Data Processing) course. One of the students' understanding of
the concept of division of integers needs to be ensured at a good level of understanding. In this
study, the understanding of the concept of division of integers includes (1) knowledge of the
sign of the result of division of integers; (2) illustration of the model of division of integers;
(3) skills in operating the division of integers. The purpose of this study is to describe (1) MI
teacher candidates' knowledge about the sign of the integer division result, (2) illustration of
the division model of the integer division model by MI teacher candidates, and (3) MI teacher
candidates' skills in operating integer division.

Based on the background that has been described, the researcher considers it important
to analyze the understanding of prospective MI teachers of the concept of Division of Integers.
This is the basis for researchers to reflect and improve the emphasis in preparing the
Mathematics 1 lecture program in the Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education Study program.

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 Fu’adiah, Nurhayati, & Emilzoli 5

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SMP 30 70
SMA 50 50

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6 KALAMATIKA, Volume xx, No. xx, November xxxx, pages xx-xx

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METHOD
This research produces descriptive data in the form of written or spoken words from
prospective teachers. It implies that this study is the descriptive-qualitative research. The
subjects came from students of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education (PGMI) study
program in semester II (two) who had attended lectures with integer division material in
Mathematics 1 (Numbers and Data Processing). Selection of subjects with purposive
sampling.
The Integer Division Comprehension Test is designed to obtain and reveal the
understanding of MI prospective teachers on the concept of integers. The instrument was
developed based on 3 indicators of understanding the concept of whole numbers, namely
being able to (1) know about the sign of the division of whole numbers; (2) illustrate the
model of division of whole numbers; and (3) skillfully operate the division of whole numbers.
The test was conducted in June 2023.
This research used triangulation technique. The triangulation used was source
triangulation. Source triangulation means comparing the results of one subject's Integer
Division Comprehension Test with the results of another subject's Test. The researcher saw the
pattern and diversity of the test results given by the subject for each item.
Qualitative data analysis has been carried out in this study starting since data collection
in the field was carried out and ending at the time of writing the research report (Moleong,
 Fu’adiah, Nurhayati, & Emilzoli 7

2018). Qualitative data analysis consists of three streams of activities that occur
simultaneously, namely data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing (Miles &
Huberman, 1992).
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Knowledge of the Sign of Integer Divisions
There are 4 items to determine knowledge about the sign of division of whole numbers.
The items are in the form of short fill-in questions. The following bar chart illustrates the
research subjects' answers to the 4 items in Figure 1.
Almost all 16 research subjects answered correctly that:

1. Division of two positive integers produces a positive integer.

2. Division of a positive integer with a negative integer produces a negative integer.

3. Division of a negative integer with a positive integer produces a negative integer.

4. Division of two negative integers produces a positive integer.

However, there was one subject who incorrectly answered that negative integers
divided by negative integers become negative integers. This is in line with the results of other
studies that students are mistaken in performing counting operations on negative integers. This
is because students cannot distinguish between the "-" or "+" sign as an operation symbol or as
a type of number (Nurlita et al., 2016).

Figure 1. Bar Diagram of Answers to Knowledge Items on the Sign of Division of Integers

Illustrating the Integer Division Model

The results of the whole number division comprehension test on the items testing the
8 KALAMATIKA, Volume xx, No. xx, November xxxx, pages xx-xx

subject's ability to illustrate the whole number division model showed that there were 4
categories, namely (1) subject did not illustrate the model of Integer Division; (2) the subject
illustrated the integer division model incorrectly; (3) the subject illustrated the model of
integer division correctly without using its understanding; (4) the subject illustrated the integer
division model correctly by using its understanding.

Subject Did Not Illustrate the Model of Integer Division

Subjects in this first category did not illustrate the division model of integers. All
subjects in this category were able to correctly describe the model that represents an integer.
However, in illustrating the integer division operation, the subjects only illustrated the
illustration of the integer division model by only changing the mathematical symbol of the
integer into the representation of the integer chip. The symbol of the division operation, ÷, is
still used in the illustration (Figure 2).

Mathematical symbol of a Representation of a negative

negative integer six integer six in its integer chips

Figure 2. Subject did not illustrate the model of division of integers

The Subject Illustrated the Integer Division Model Incorrectly

Subjects in this second category knew the illustration of the whole number division
model. However, the subject did not fully understand the illustration of the integer division
model when asked to illustrate the division of an integer with another number. The subject was
correct in understanding the agreement "What is divided (±a) is the desired final piece".
However, the subject is wrong in applying the agreement: (1) The divisor (±b), is the piece
that is moved (inserted or removed); and (2) The quotient (±c), indicates the number of
activities of moving (inserting or removing) the piece to/from the square so that the square
 Fu’adiah, Nurhayati, & Emilzoli 9

contains the desired piece. A positive quotient indicates inserting pieces into the square and a
negative quotient indicates removing pieces from the square. The following table 1 shows the
mistakes made by the subject in the test results.

Table 1. Subjects Illustrating the Integer Division Model Incorrectly

Photo of the Subject's Answer Describtion

The subject already understood that

Number representation of (-2) is
not appropriate
they had to put six pieces of negative
charge into the square. However, the
representation of the second number -2) in
the illustration of the model is not
appropriate. The number of pieces inserted
each time was wrong, which should have
been two pieces of negative charge and
instead inserted three pieces of negative
charge each time.

(a) The subject did not conclude the

(a)
result

(b) The subject removed the wrong

number of pieces of charge, namely
removing 3 when it should have
(b)
(c) inserted

(c) The subject illustrates removing

twice so that the quotient of the
illustration can be concluded .
Where the illustration should be to
enter three times so that the quotient
is

Based on the errors in Table 1, there is a need for improved instruction in teaching
10 KALAMATIKA, Volume xx, No. xx, November xxxx, pages xx-xx

whole number division. It is important for teacher training programs to help prospective
teachers overcome or at least monitor the impact of these misconceptions (Arnett, 1989).

The Subject Illustrated the Model of Integer Division Correctly Without Using Its
Understanding
Subjects with this third category appear to imitate textually and illustrate in answering
questions. This can be seen from the subject using a series of words that are almost the same
and even tend to be the same as the teaching materials for Mathematics 1 (Numbers and Data
Processing) given to PGMI students in semester II. There were only adjustments to the
numbers that were in accordance with the items on the research instrument. The subject did
not use his own words to describe the illustration of the integer division model (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Illustrating the Integer Division Model Correctly without Using Its
Understanding

1. The Subject Illustrated the Integer Division Model Correctly by Using Its Understanding

In this fourth criterion, the subject illustrated the division of integers correctly by using
its own understanding. This can be seen in its work as shown in Figure 4. The subject
skillfully illustrated the model of integer division correctly. The subject could explain each
process of inserting or removing pieces correctly until determining the quotient that
corresponds to the process. For instance, in the division of , the subject correctly
explain that this division operation can be interpreted as the number of times to insert or
remove 2 positive pieces so that there are 6 negative pieces in the square. The subject further
explained:
 Fu’adiah, Nurhayati, & Emilzoli 11

"The desired chips in the box will be the negative chips, while the ones to be moved,
inserted or removed, are the positive chips. I fill the square first with zeros in the form of 2
pairs of positive and negative pieces. 2 pairs because the number of pairs of zeros is adjusted
to the number of chips that want to move. Then remove the 2 positive chips from the box. Do
the same process until there are 6 negative chips in the box"

Figure 4. Illustrating the Integer Division Model Correctly and Using Its
Understanding

Skill in Operating Integer Division

The results of the integer division comprehension test on items testing the skill of
operating integer division show that there are 5 categories:

1. Using Downward Division with Properly Separating Integer Signs.

In this first criterion, the subject operated whole number division skillfully. The subject
used the downward division method by separating the integer signs without any error. This
can be seen in the following figure 5.
12 KALAMATIKA, Volume xx, No. xx, November xxxx, pages xx-xx

Figure 5. Downward Division with Properly Separating Integer Signs

2. Using Downward Division with Appropriate Combining of Integer Signs

In this second criterion, the subject operated the division of integers skillfully as well
but in a different way from the criterion of using downward division by separating the integer
signs. The subject used the downward division method by combining integer signs without
any error. This happened only in the division operation where one of the numbers was a
negative integer, but for the division operation of both negative numbers, none of the subjects
skillfully used this method. This can be seen in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Downward Division with Appropriate Combination of Integer Signs

3. Using Downward Division by Incorrectly Combining Integer Signs

In this third criterion, the subject divides integers less skillfully. The subject used the
downward division method by combining the integer signs but did the method incorrectly.
There were 2 types of mistakes made by the subject: (a) the subject divided tens (-80), but
wrote that what can be divided by 3 is 60 which should be (-60) and this affected the division
 Fu’adiah, Nurhayati, & Emilzoli 13

involving units (-21) the subject should have used 21; (b) the subject divided tens (-80), wrote
that what can be divided by 3 is (-80), but wrote that what can be divided by 3 is (-60), but
when subtracting (-81) over (-60) the subject wrote the result is 21 which should be (-21). The
following figure 7 shows those mistakes.

Figure 7. Combining Integer Signs (left (a), Right (b))

4. Did not Explain Any Method in Operating Integers

In this fourth criterion, the subject operated the division of integers without using any
method. The subject only wrote the division operation as in the question sentence by adding

the result of the operation. This can be seen in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Not Explaining Any Method of Operating Integers

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Perbowo, K. S., & Pradipta, T. R. (2017). Pemetaan Kemampuan Pembuktian Matematis

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