COGNITIVE LEVEL PROFILE AT THE TENTH GRADE OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MATHEMATICS PROBLEM SOLVING ON THREE VARIABLES OF LINEAR EQUATION SYSTEM

Abstract

Problem-solving is a significant skill in facing the 21st century. Students have differentlevels of problem-solving. The levels that explain individual abilities in solving mathematicsproblems are called as cognitive level. It consists of three levels; cognition, metacognition,and epistemic cognition. The cognitive level influences the individual in understanding theproblem and deciding the right strategies to solve it. The material used to obtain the data isthree variables linear equation system, by involving two high ability students at the tenthgrade from one of the state senior high schools in Pati. This research employs a qualitativemethod in which the data are collected through task-based interview and time triangulation isapplied to validate the data. The results reveal that at the cognition level, students with highability have an understanding related to conceptual and procedural knowledge, but the abilityof students in factual knowledge is low, especially in terminology skill; at the metacognitionlevel, the students are able to write down each strategy in each method, but it is not detailed;while at the epistemic cognition level, they are able to explain the weaknesses of a method,but they have not been able to provide a solution to overcome its weaknesses.