EXPLORING THE INTERPRETATION OF PLANE GEOMETRY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY BASED ON SOCIO-SCIENCE

Abstract

This study explores how first-semester mathematics education students experienced plane geometry learning when geometric concepts were connected to spatial-use issues at Pasar Raya Padang. A qualitative study was conducted using a descriptive phenomenological orientation. The participants were nine students (P1–P9), who worked in three groups and completed a contextual worksheet on points and lines, parallel lines, distance, and the division of a plane. Data consisted of students’ worksheet responses and phenomenological interview accounts. The data were examined through repeated reading, identification of meaning units, comparison across data sources, development of meaning patterns, and formulation of themes. The findings are organized into three related themes: spatial field awareness, spatial dynamics, and reconstructive action. Students connected the position of points and boundary lines with safety and access; interpreted the constant distance between parallel lines in relation to sidewalk width and pedestrian movement; and questioned whether equal spatial division necessarily represented fair allocation. Some participants also related contextual geometry to their prospective role as mathematics teachers, while P6 maintained a stronger emphasis on geometry as formal knowledge. The study indicates that contextual plane geometry tasks can create opportunities for students to use mathematical representations to examine social consequences, although the findings are limited to the participants and learning episode studied. In this article, Mathematica Socio-Science is treated as an author-developed analytical lens rather than an established, universally recognized theory.