This document discusses using social-cognitive theory in mathematics education. It first identifies common difficulties students face in learning mathematics, such as problems with communication, creativity, reasoning, and problem solving. It then provides an overview of social-cognitive theory, noting that students learn through self-regulation, observing models, and developing self-efficacy. The document argues that social-cognitive theory can help address students' mathematics learning difficulties by emphasizing aspects like self-reflection, goal-setting, and observing peer and teacher models.

1. Salamia1 , Urip Tisngati 2
USING SOCIAL-COGNITIVE THEORY IN
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
1 MTs Negeri 1 Balikpapan, 2 STKIP PGRI Pacitan

2. In fact that some students who learned mathematics were still
have problems in learning difficulties.
From the data of the observation and the experience of
writers in mathematics teaching and learning, some students
showed some problems in communication, creativity,
reasoning, understanding, representation, problem solving.
These difficulties can be assessed through social-cognitive
theory.
This theory has become one of the psychological foundations
in the science of education for how to answer problems
related to the practice of learning in the classroom and
outside the classroom
1.Introduction

3. the purposes of this article are
1) to describe the difficulties of mathematics learning,
2) to describe the concept of learning based on social-
cognitive theory, and
3) to describe the use of learning concept based on social-
cognitive theory in mathematics education.
1.Introduction

4. It was as descriptive-analytical studies using library research or
scientific studies based on an integrated literature review.
Author used the data sources from the literatures, both books
and scientific articles from journals and proceedings. Books and
scientific articles were selected based on the availability of
informations that supports the answers and problem
formulations, related to the mathematical problems and the
study of social-cognitive theory in the conceptual and
application perspective in mathematics education
Method

5. Results
1.Difficulties learning in mathematics
Cristina et al., (2000), that learners can experience
difficulties at any or all of these stages and difficulty at one
stage can affect the others.
According to Frederickson and Cline (2009), there are three
major sources of difficulty: 1) Confusion between trying to
achieve mathematical understanding, (2) Increased anxiety,
relating to problems of miscommunication, (3) Reading
mathematics and understanding the language of mathematics
is challenging.

6. Results
1.Difficulties learning in mathematics
Based on the identification of problems in mathematics
above, there were factors could effect.
Generally, cognitive problems were as dominant factor but
affective factors such as motivation, math-anxiety, self-
efficacy, self-concept, self-regulation also contribute to
influence the student achievement in mathematics

7. Results
2. Overview of social-cognitive theory
 Students process information of knowledge to achieve their
own learning goals.
 Self-regulation is self-controlled learning in which individuals
actively cultivate and retain information, behavior,
cognition, emotions to achieve their goals.
 When interacting with the learning environment, students
perform the process of self-observation, self-assessment, and
self-reactions.

8. Results
2. Overview of social-cognitive theory
 Self-assessment encourages metacognitive ability to reflect
on oneself. “Through self-reflection, self-awareness,
students assess their motivation, values, and meaning from
their life activities” (Bandura, 2001, p. 9).
 On the observational learning process, motivations is
important, both in the form of cognitive and motor skills,
where the elements are goals, expectations of results,
values, and self-efficacy. Student encouragement to engage
in logical learning activities is triggered by attempts to
achieve something

9. Results
2. Overview of social-cognitive theory
 Self-efficacy is so popular aspect in developing and improving
the quality if human life.
 They influence thinking patterns that can increase or weaken
performance (Bandura, 1999, p. 25).
 The individual self-efficacy can affect the individual in
determining the action to be taken to achieve a goal,
including in the learning process.
 Self-efficacy becomes one of the variables that can
influence one's behavior in doing learning action

10. Discussion
 Yip (2012) wrote that “The variable of self-efficacy was
equally important to differentiate high academic-achieving
students from low academic-achieving students at the
university level”. That is, the environment becomes a source
of student knowledge to manage aspects of cognition,
behavior, attitudes, self-emotional in order to achieve goals.
Students learn complex skills through a combination of
observation and practice.

11. Discussion
 After students observe the object of learning, students
cultivate knowledge as a process of cognition, they change
the information into learning behavior.
 Thus self-regulation, motivation, self-efficacy becomes an
important variable in observational learning so that
individuals can learn optimally by optimally in cognitive and
social strategy.
 It can be said that how important to make an adequate
representation of the problem and to reflect on the
outcomes (Hoek, Terwel, & Eeden, 2006)

12. Discussion
 Margolis & Mccabe (2006) presented three sources of self-
efficacy-enactive mastery, vicarious experiences, and verbal
persuasion-as ways for teachers to figure out what to do and
what to say to strengthen struggling learners’ beliefs in their
academic abilities and increase their willingness to engage in
academic tasks.
 Teacher model as an adult model, acts to give positive effect
to the student because what is captured by student to
teacher is what is owned by teacher, such as transfer of
knowledge, value of moral and characters, attitudes and
skills both in directly or indirectly ways

13. Discussion
 Based on social-cognitive theory, peer modeling is used as an
effective suggestion for improving and growing the students'
self-efficacy.
 Through peer tutors, the students' self-esteem and observer
confidence will increase.
 Students will confidence to complete some projects such as
peer tutor so it will be motivated to achieve

14. Discussion
As suggestion, there are some principal in order to focus the
attentions, namely
1) the practices are done step by step with clear and focused in
instructions,
2) using variations of presentation form, e.g. two models are
better than one model, two different models are better than
the same two models, both in theory and practice,
3) variation models of information, in the form of textual,
visual, and auditory.

15. Conclusion
 Bong & Skaalvik (2003) argued that self-efficacy acts as an
active precursor of self-concept development.
 Teachers become important subjects that can affect students' self-
efficacy.
 Through peer tutors, the students' self-esteem and observer’s
confidence will increase.