My reflection of student psychological aspects

What I Can Reflect about Psychological Aspects if the Student is Confronted with the following Question:
Mono is 7 years older than Edi. Cahyo is 4 years older than Mono. If the total age of Mono and Edi is same with the age of Cahyo, so the age of Mono is … years.
a. 6 b. 5 c. 4 d. 3

The value of y from linear equation 2x + 3y = 11 and x - y = 3 is …
a. 1 b. 2 c.3 d.4

If the students are given some mathematics question in form of multiple choice, there will be some psychological aspect from the student which can be reflect. Some questions those are in form of multiple choice can be said as an instant culture in mathematics education. Because students will solve the problem quickly without hard thinking. So it’s not impossible, if the student just ask the question with luckily not from their thinking or not use the mathematics formula.
To solve the question in form of multiple choice, the student also usually use “ Gambling “ method, that the student just approximate the answer without use mathematics procedure. Because in the question, there are some choice of answer so the student just need to choose one of the answer from the question.

If the question is a story question, there will be a “cruel” feeling from student so that the student will feel difficulties and lazy to thinking hard to find the answer. Finally student only choose the answer unserioussly. By approximating the answer, it will not support the improvement of student thinking, especially in mathematics thinking.

For some students, if they are given some multiple choice question, they will fell easier to finish the question because they must not think too hard. But for several people, multiple choice will make disappointed. The student who have thought to solve the problem with mathematics formula will be disappointed if their answer is not in the choice. And if their choice is wrong, so they will not get score. But if the form of the question is not multiple choice, the can explore their thinking, and if there are a mistake, they still get score for their question, although the score is not perfect.

Sometimes if the student are given multiple choice problems, they suggest that they don’t need to study or maybe prepare some matery for do or solve the exams. But for some student who have prepare the matery will lose their spirit, because basically they have been already to get the challenge but the question that is given is multiple choice so that they fell disappointed and finally their spirit is decrease. It’s according with Law of readiness from Edward L. Thorndike, that said “the student will lose their spirit If something is not in accord with their readiness”. (Sugihartono, 2007:92 )

Almost of student will be lazy to study before they solve multiple choice problems. So that they don’t have motivation to study before they do the exam. Because they suggest that without study they still can answer the question. If the student don’t have motivation to study so they can not improve their ability. Because according to Gleitman and Roger motivation is an internal condition of organism to support their activity, so that motivation is a power for people to do something. If the student lose their motivation to study they will not have power for studying, so they will get the optimum result.

Beside that, in mathematics the important thing in solving the problem is the process, or in the other word it’s important to do problem solving in mathematics. It’s not effective to get the answer of the mathematics problem directly, because it will not improve student’s thinking in mathematics.
But in the other hand, multiple choice can make easier for teacher when they check the result of student’s work. So I can reflect that if student is confronted with multiple choice question, it will hamper the student ability in mathematics thinking because it will decrease the student motivation but it also will make easier for the student to solve the question although they don’t need to think hard, they also can answer the question by approximate and then choose the answer.

References
http://duniapsikologi.dagdigdug.com/category/psikologi-kepribadian/
Sugihartono,dkk.2007.Psikologi Pendidikan.Yogyakarta:UNY Press
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MATHEMATICS EDUCATION