Introduction

Since Independence, the Mathematics Education curriculum has undergone major reforms. A
review of the education system in Malaysia had been planned to meet the demands and challenges
of globalisation and the keconomy. A product approach was proposed in the teaching and learning
process in all classrooms. A total review in the mathematics curriculum emphasises on several
important aspects in mathematics education which includes communication and problem solving in
mathematics (Sharifah, 2003).

In Malaysian schools, high performance in the examinations especially in the public examinations
means everything. As this is the priority of parents and schools alike, teachers are very concerned
with finishing the syllabus and drilling students the exam answers and questions. They are reluctant
therefore to involve other approaches to the teaching and learning of mathematics as it would take
up too much time and are irrelevant to passing examinations. The chalk and talk method are
dominant in explaining rules, definitions and solving problems (T. Subahan, 2007).

This study was conducted to explore the effects of Problem Based Learning (PBL) as an alternative
instructional strategy which could be introduced to Malaysian classrooms in the teaching and
learning of mathematics. Students taught in traditional mathematics education environments are
preoccupied by exercises, rules, and equations that need to be learned, but are of limited use in
unfamiliar situations such as solving real-life mathematics projects. In contrast to conventional
mathematics classroom environments, a PBL environment provides students with opportunities to
develop their abilities to adapt and change methods to fit new situations. Further, students
participating in PBL environments have greater opportunity to learn mathematical processes
associated with communication, representation, modeling, and reasoning (Smith, 1998; Erickson,
1999; Lubienski, 1999 ).

The specific objectives of this study were:

1. To compare the overall mathematics performance between the PBL group and the CT group.
2. To compare instructional efficiency based on a Paas Mental Effort Rating Scale between the PBL
group and the CT group.
3. To investigate perception of group work, interest in mathematics and the mathematics learning
experience between the PBL group and the CT group.
4. To investigate effective use of Polya’s problem solving heuristics, mathematical communication
and teamwork between the PBL group and the CT group.

Synonim
After the independence, the Mathematics Education curriculum has improved major reforms. The
review of the education system in Malaysia has been draft to meet the insistence and defy by
globalization and economics. A product approach was suggested in the teaching and learning
process in all classrooms. A total review in the mathematics curriculum accentuate on some
important aspects in mathematics education which loaded communication and problem solving in
mathematics (Sharifah, 2003).

In Malaysian schools, high achievement in the examinations mainly in the public examinations
means everything. As this is the priority of parents and schools, teachers are very concerned with
finishing the syllabus and drilling students the exam answers and questions. They are reluctant
therefore to implicate other approaches to the teaching and learning of mathematics as it would take
up too much time and are irrelevant to passing examinations. The chalk and talk method are
dominant in explaining rules, definitions and solving problems (T. Subah, 2007).

This study was conducted to explore the effects of Problem Based Learning (PBL) as an alternative
learning strategy that can be introduced to Malaysian classrooms in teaching and learning
mathematics. Students taught in traditional mathematics education environments are preoccupied
with exercises, rules, and equations that need to be learned, but their use is limited in unknown
situations such as completing real-life mathematical projects. Unlike the conventional mathematics
classroom environment, the PBL environment provides students with the opportunity to develop
their ability to adapt and change methods to suit new situations. Furthermore, students who
participate in the PBL environment have greater opportunities to learn mathematical processes
related to communication, representation, modeling, and reasoning (Smith, 1998; Erickson, 1999;
Lubienski, 1999).

The specific objectives of this study are:

1. To compare overall mathematical performance between the PBL group and the CT group.
2. To compare teaching efficiency based on the Paas Mental Effort Assessment Scale between the
PBL group and the CT group.
3. To investigate perceptions of group work, interest in mathematics and mathematics learning
experiences between the PBL group and the CT group.
4. To investigate the use of heuristics, mathematical communication and effective Polya
communication teamwork between the PBL group and the CT group.