Penelitian Pendidikan

Abstrak
This sudy was intended to examine the role ofprior mathematics ability (PMA) andcontextual teaching approach withmathematical manipulative(CTL-MM) tothe achievement of mathematical connection ability (MCA) and self-confidence(SC) of junior high school students. This study was part ofa masterthesis andit was a sub-study ofa Postgraduate Research Grant from DGHE in 2013 as well.The study was quasi-experimental with pre-testpost-test control group design involving 67 ninth-grade students from a junior high school in Bandung. The instruments of this study werean essaytest on mathematical connection, a self-confidence scale, and a scale onstudents’ perception toward CTL-MM.The result of the study revealed that CTL-MM was better in on improving students’ MCA, N-Gain of MCA, and SC. This was shown by students’grades of MCA and SC which were better in the group taught by CTL-MM than students’ grades in the group taught by conventional teaching.While their grades of SC were better, the grades of MCTA were at low level. However, therewas a moderate correlation between mathematical connection and self-confidence though students demonstrated positive perception toward the implementation of CTL-MM.