Culture and mathematics learning: identifying students’ mathematics connection

Mathematicsconnection support students finding various possible strategies in problem-solving. Cultural products can be used as mathematical objects in learning. This article,part of a study that designed culture-based learning, aimsto identify students' mathematics connection. Data was collected through a test given to 341 students and unstructured interviews of ninestudents selected based on the completion of the test, which fulfills mathematization steps. Data analysis beganbyclassifyingstudents’answers based on mathematization, identifyingmathematics connection of students according to mathematization, analyzingstudents’ mathematics connection, and drawingconclusions about mathematics connection and the constraints found. The results showed that students' mathematics connections include three categories, namely understanding connection, representation connection, and justification connection. Students with justification connection solvedmathematical problems according to mathematization steps, from the identification of mathematical objects to formal mathematics.Meanwhile, students with understanding and representation connection solvedtheir respective mathematical problems up to the concrete and formal stages. The findingsrevealthat culture-based mathematics learning provides space to understand students' mathematicsconnection. Further research is requiredto provethat itcan be used to develop students' mathematicsconnection.