Examining Grade 9 Students’ Engagement in Mathematical Problem-Solving (MPS)When Working as Individuals and in a Small Group Setting

Problem-solving is central to mathematics education across the world. The National Curriculum for Mathematics (Grade I-XII) in Pakistan emphasizes the importance of problem-solving in developing students’ mathematical knowledge and understanding. Informed by Polya’s heuristics that guides the problem-solving process, this study examined Grade 9 students’ mathematical problem-solving (MPS) when working as individuals and in a small group setting. Data were triangulated through multiple methods including semi-structured interviews, observations of episodes of students solving problems in a small group, written responses to the problems, and focus group interview. The findings reveal that the participants demonstrated variations in the emphasis given to each stage as well as the manner in which problem-solving was operationalized at an individual and a group level. Moreover, students both individually and while working in a small group go back and forth among different stages of Polya’s heuristics. These findings have implications for the teaching and learning of MPS in academically less advanced countries similar to Pakistan.