Connecting Cultures with Mathematics: A Study on Incorporating Indigenous Papuan Cultural Contexts to Mitigate Errors in Solving Math Word Problems.

Research has shown that Indigenous students often perform poorly in traditional math classes because the Western approach to mathematics is often not aligned with their cultural ways of learning and problem-solving. This study examined the Indigenous West Papuan students' cognitive styles and their...

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Publicado en:Journal of Intercultural Studies Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 831 - 856
Autores principales: Sianturi, Murni, Suliantin, Riska, Sianturi, Iwan A. J.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Oct2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct2025
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        atl: Connecting Cultures with Mathematics: A Study on Incorporating Indigenous Papuan Cultural Contexts to Mitigate Errors in Solving Math Word Problems.
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          Sianturi, Murni
          Suliantin, Riska
          Sianturi, Iwan A. J.
        affil:
          School of Social Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
          Muhammadiah Junior High School, Merauke, Indonesia
          School of Curriculum and Instructions, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
      su:
        Word problems (Mathematics)
        Culturally relevant education
        Mathematics education
        Traditional knowledge
        Cognitive styles
        Cultural transmission
        Indigenous youth
        Sociocultural factors
        Papua Barat (Indonesia)
      sug:
        subj:
          Papua Barat (Indonesia)
          Word problems (Mathematics)
          Culturally relevant education
          Mathematics education
          Traditional knowledge
          Cognitive styles
          Cultural transmission
          Indigenous youth
          Sociocultural factors
      keyword:
        culture
        Indigenous students
        mathematics learning
        word problems
      ab: Research has shown that Indigenous students often perform poorly in traditional math classes because the Western approach to mathematics is often not aligned with their cultural ways of learning and problem-solving. This study examined the Indigenous West Papuan students' cognitive styles and their errors in solving math word problems and identified how Indigenous cultural contexts could help Papuan students solve math word problems and mitigate errors. Although findings showed the prevalence of field dependent style among Indigenous West Papuan students, which is related to some Indigenous ways of learning – e.g. organizes information with whole patterns, delights in learning material with social content, and prefers to work in a group – , it is important to understand that individual experiences and various factors could affect learning outcomes beyond cognitive styles. Instead of trying to change student characteristics, it might be more effective to implement culturally responsive curricula and teaching practices that respect the cultural backgrounds of Indigenous students. The study also found that incorporating Indigenous cultural contexts in the design of math problems helped students solve math word problems more accurately and might help address some of the educational barriers faced by West Papuan students.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
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    language: English
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