The Improvement of Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability Through the Application of Problem-Based Learning Model on Students in Class VIII.1 SMPN 16 Solok Selatan

The cause of the lack of mathematical problemsolving ability of students in grade VIII.1 SMPN 16 Solok Selatan was because the learning model was still concentrated on the teacher. One effort that can be done to overcome this problem was to apply the PBL model. The objective of the study was to describe the process of improving students’ mathematical problem-solving skills through learning with PBL model. The type of research was classroom action research. The study consisted of two cycles consisting of five meetings for each. The last meeting of each cycle was filled with the final test. This research consisted of four components, namely: action plan; action implementation; observation; and evaluation of the action (reflecting). The research was conducted on the students of class VIII.1 SMPN 16 Solok Selatan in the even semester of the academic year 2013/2014. Research subject amounted to 20 students. The collected data were analyzed descriptively. The result of this research indicated that there was an increase in problem-solving skills of mathematics students using the PBL model. The increase was seen from the increase of the average value of the final test cycle that examined the problem-solving and the percentage of mastery of student learning outcomes. It can be concluded that the PBL model can improve the problem-solving ability of students of grade VIII.1 SMPN 16 Solok Selatan in the even semester of the academic year 2013/2014. Keywords—Improvement, Problem Solving Ability, PBL