The problem and the aim of the study. Flexibility represents a cognitive ability needed to address global problems and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Current flexibility testing methods only occur after students struggle to carry out their first problem-solving approach. This method restricts the evaluation of flexibility because students who succeed in their initial approach are not included in the assessment process. This research develops SDG-based mathematical problems with changing situations to test students’ flexibility in problem-solving.
Research methods. The research employed a Research and Development (R&D) design using the 3-D model (Define, Design, Develop). Each problem was constructed to reflect SDG-related issues and to accommodate situational changes. These situational changes were designed to evaluate students’ flexibility in adapting their problem-solving strategies. In the validation phase, we carried out expert validation (3 experts), readability assessment (6 students), and field testing (75 students). The research included students from three secondary schools in East Java, Indonesia, who were in grades nine and ten. The Winsteps software was used for a statistical analysis to estimate Rasch model parameters.
Results. Analysis using the Rasch Model indicated strong unidimensionality (raw variance explained = 65.1%, eigenvalue < 2), high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.76), a good model fit, a clearly defined scoring scale, and a balanced item difficulty distribution. These results confirm that the Dynamic Contextual Mathematics Problems with SDGs Perspectives are valid, reliable, and practical tools for assessing students’ problem-solving flexibility.
Conclusion. First, the confirmation of unidimensionality and model fit substantiates that the Dynamic Contextual Mathematics Problems with SDGs Perspective is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing students’ problem-solving skills – including flexibility – within the framework of the SDGs. Second, the balanced and varied distribution of item difficulty demonstrates the instrument’s capacity for use in differentiated instruction, enabling educators to tailor learning based on students’ initial ability levels. Third, the high-reliability coefficients indicate that the instrument can be used consistently across various student populations.
Keywords: dynamic contextual mathematics problem, mathematics, SDGs perspective, problem-solving, flexibility
For Citation: Kurniati, D., Annizar, A. M., Yudianto, E., & Susanto (2026). Developing Dynamic Contextual Mathematics Problems with SDGs Perspectives: Assessing Students’ Problem-Solving Flexibility. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovania = Perspectives of Science and Education, (1), 374–385. https://doi.org/10.32744/pse.2026.1.23
Authors:
Dian Kurniati (Indonesia, Jember) — Lecturer, Department of Mathematics Education. University of Jember. E-mail: dian.kurniati@unej.ac.id
Anas M. Annizar (Indonesia, Jember) — Dr. Candidate, Department of Mathematics Education. University of Jember. Lecturer, Department of Mathematics Education. UIN Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq Jember. E-mail: anasannizar28@gmail.com
Erfan Yudianto (Indonesia, Jember) — Lecturer, Department of Mathematics Education. University of Jember. E-mail: erfanyudi@unej.ac.id
Susanto (Indonesia, Jember) — Lecturer, Department of Mathematics Education. University of Jember. E-mail: susantouj.fkip@unej.ac.id
© Dian Kurniati, Anas M. Annizar, Erfan Yudianto, Susanto, 2026
The author’s declared no conflicts of interest
Received: 14 July 2025 | Approved: 25 September 2025 | Published: 28 February 2026
This is an open access article distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike International License (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this
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