Problem-Based Learning Assisted by Articulate Storyline 3 and Students’ Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Mathematical problem-solving is a central competency in mathematics learning, yet Indonesian students continue to experience difficulty, particularly when translating contextual situations into mathematical representations. This study examined differences in mathematical problem-solving performance between Grade X students who received Problem-Based Learning (PBL) assisted by Articulate Storyline 3 and students who received conventional instruction. A quantitative quasi-experimental nonequivalent control-group design involved 78 students at SMAN 14 Pekanbaru, with 39 students in each class selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using six constructed-response items representing four problem-solving indicators. The reported instrument evidence included item correlations and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.673 for the pretest and 0.751 for the posttest). Descriptive statistics, Shapiro–Wilk tests, Levene's tests, independent-samples t-tests, and Cohen's d were computed in IBM SPSS Statistics 23. The classes did not show sufficient evidence of a pretest mean difference, t(76) = -1.40, p = 0.166. At posttest, the experimental class obtained a higher mean score (M = 65.48) than the control class (M = 46.36), t(76) = 8.95, p < 0.001, mean difference = 19.12, 95% CI [14.86, 23.37], d = 2.03, 95% CI [1.47, 2.57]. However, the control-class mean declined from 60.09 at pretest to 46.36 at posttest, so the very large between-group difference should be interpreted cautiously. Overall, the combined PBL and Articulate Storyline 3 intervention was associated with substantially higher posttest problem-solving scores than the comparison condition in this sample.