The Effectiveness of Differentiated Learning on Students' Mathematical Problem-Solving Abilities Based on Initial Abilities and Learning Styles

ABSTRACT: This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of differentiated learning that considers students' initial abilities and learning styles in the learning process to develop students' mathematical problem-solving abilities. This study involved 48 7th grade junior high school students. The results of students' initial ability tests and learning style questionnaires were used to differentiate the learning process and content. Quantitative data were obtained by administering a mathematical problem-solving ability test and analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. The average score of students' mathematical problem-solving abilities after being given differentiated learning was 85.68, indicating that differentiated learning had a positive effect on students' mathematical problem-solving abilities. The results of the ANOVA test followed by the Tukey HSD test showed that each pair of groups of students' initial abilities differed significantly, thus, the initial ability category had a strong influence on students' problem-solving abilities. The results of the ANOVA test for the learning style category showed that differences in learning styles did not have a significant influence on the results of students' mathematical problem-solving abilities in the context of differentiated learning.