Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education

Fostering the Development of Young Students’ Analytical Thinking by use of a Problem-solving Method

Lavinia Suvi Lanting 1 *
1 University of Twente* Corresponding Author
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Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Volume 8, Issue SI, June 2025, pp. 377-401
OPEN ACCESS VIEWS: 53 DOWNLOADS: 20 Publication date: 15 Jun 2025
ABSTRACT
The analytical thinking level of secondary school students in the Netherlands has been on the decline for the past few years, with grave consequences for the mathematical level of these students, who often struggle later on in their academic careers. In particular, these students showcase underdeveloped basic skills such as critical reading and critical thinking, vital to many subjects in secondary school. Problem-solving methods have been utilised widely across the literature to foster both academic skills and the performance of students. In this research, a problem-solving method, inspired by Polya’s four step method, is introduced and extended to include a reflection part (inside phase) to help students foster and develop their analytical thinking. Qualitative findings from a study conducted with K–8 students are reported and discussed to determine the degree to which the methodology helped these students develop their analytical thinking compared to a parallel class of K–8 students.
KEYWORDS
Analytical thinking, mathematics teaching, Polya’s method, problem solving, reflection as a learning method
CITATION (APA)
Lanting, L. S. (2025). Fostering the Development of Young Students’ Analytical Thinking by use of a Problem-solving Method. Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 8(SI), 377-401. https://doi.org/10.31756/jrsmte.4117SI
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