RESTRUCTURING OF STEM-BASED STUDENT THINKING IN CONSTRUCTING THE CONCEPT OF DEFINITION A FUNCTION

This study is qualitative research. It is to restructure the STEM-based students thinking in constructing the concept of formal definition of a function based on the assimilation and accommodation process through the provision of scaffolding. The research subjects are two students chosen from 18 students by a consideration that the students meet the determined criteria. The results show both the first and the second subjects experience errors in relation, the general definition of a function, and algebraic representation. Errors in Cartesian product and numerical representation are also experienced by the second subject. Scaffolding by using questions and instructions in the process of assimilation and accommodation are used to reconstruct the concept of formal definition of a function. It is essential for the teachers to create assimilation and accommodation in their thinking process in order to help the students to understand formal definition of a function in appropriate ways.