by Rahmi Hayati, Edi Syahputra, Edy Surya
ABSTRACT
This study aims to develop and analyze the implementation of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) integrated with digital technology and the local culture of deliberation (musyawarah) as a culturally responsive instructional approach to support elementary students’ mathematical problem-solving skills. The study employed a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology conducted through three phases: preliminary design, teaching experiment, and retrospective analysis. The participants consisted of 28 elementary school students at UPTD SD Negeri 4 Bireuen, with the classroom teacher serving as a collaborative partner throughout the research process. Data were collected through classroom observations, recordings of group deliberation discussions, technology-based student worksheets, problem-solving tests, and interviews with both students and the teacher. Data analysis was conducted using qualitative thematic analysis supported by data triangulation. The findings indicate that the integration of RME, digital technology, and deliberative cultural practices can be implemented systematically and meaningfully in classroom instruction. Digital technology functioned as a cognitive tool that supported visualization, exploration of multiple solution strategies, and iterative reflection, while deliberation strengthened social interaction, equitable participation, and the negotiation of mathematical meaning. Students demonstrated diverse informal strategies and gradually progressed toward more formal mathematical representations through guided reinvention and collaborative discussion. Both teachers and students reported positive responses to the learning process, as reflected in increased engagement, confidence, and a stronger focus on problem-solving processes. This study contributes theoretically by enriching RME through culturally responsive and technology-based instructional design principles, and practically by offering a pedagogical framework for meaningful mathematics learning that is relevant to the demands of 21st-century education.
