Students’ Profiles of Mathematical Reasoning Process: A Mathematics Anxiety Perspective

Abstract

This study aims to describe in depth the mathematical reasoning process of students based on categories of mathematics anxiety. This research is qualitative study with a descriptive design. The data sources in this study are 34 eighth-grade students at a junior high school in Batam City, Riau Islands Province, who are classified into three categories of mathematics anxiety: cognitive, affective, and somatic. Data collection techniques in this study included a mathematics anxiety questionnaire, mathematical reasoning test, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis was conducted by describing the stages of mathematical reasoning that emerged based on the results of student work and in-depth interviews. The findings show that students with cognitive math anxiety exhibit the most representative reasoning processes. This can be seen in their ability to accurately identify information, formulate hypotheses through structured exploration, and produce valid generalizations supported by relevant mathematical justifications. The implication of this study is the need to design interventions that encourage exploration, hypothesis testing, and the formation of interrelationships between representations independently, thereby improving generalization and justification skills, especially among students who still rely on routine procedures.