To keep track of the development of the current world, education has changed over time to create a more robust and effective system for producing a competent and competitive generation (Hashim and Wan, 2020). The education system of a country is a significant determinant of the growth and development of the said country (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2013). In the Malaysian context, the education system has undergone repeated changes alongside the latest curriculum, namely the revised Primary School Standard Curriculum (KSSR) and the revised Secondary School Standard Curriculum (KSSM). These changes have been implemented to ensure that Malaysian education is improving continually so then the students can guide the country to compete globally (Adam and Halim, 2019). However, Malaysian students have shown limited skills in international assessments such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

According to the PISA 2018 results, the students’ performance in mathematics is still below the average level of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; Avvisati et al., 2019). The results show that almost half of the students in Malaysia have still not mastered mathematical skills fully. Meanwhile, the TIMSS results in 2019 have shown there to be a descent in the achievements of Malaysian students compared to the results in 2015 (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2020b). This situation is worrying as most students from other countries such as China, Singapore, Korea, Japan, and others have a higher level of mathematical skills than Malaysian students. According to Mullis et al. (2016), these two international assessments have in common that both assessments test the level of the students’ skills when solving real-world problems. In short, PISA and TIMSS have proven that Malaysian students are still weak when it comes to solving sentence-based mathematics problems.

According to Hassan et al. (2019), teachers must emphasize the mastery of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and apply it in mathematics teaching in primary school. Sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills can improve the students’ skills when dealing with various mathematical problems in daily life (Gurat, 2018), increase the students’ imagination (Wibowo et al., 2017), develop the students’ creativity (Suastika, 2017), and develop the students’ comprehension skills (Mulyati et al., 2017). The importance of sentence-based mathematic problem-solving skills is also supported by Ismail et al. (2021). They stated that mathematics problem-solving skills are similar to high-level thinking skills when it comes to guiding students with how to deal with problems creatively and critically. Moreover, problem-solving skills are also an activity that requires an individual to select an appropriate strategy to be performed by the individual to ensure that movement occurs between the current state to the expected state (Sudarmo and Mariyati, 2017). There are various strategies that can be used by teachers to guide students when developing their problem-solving skills such as problem-solving strategies based on Polya’s Problem-Solving Model (1957). Various research studies have used problem-solving models to solve specific problems to improve the students’ mathematical skills. Polya (1957), Lester (1980), Gick (1986), and DeMuth (2007) are examples. One of the oldest problem-solving models is the George Polya model (1957). The model is divided into four major stages: (i) understanding the problem; (ii) devising a plan that will lead to the solution; (iii) Carrying out the plan; and (iv) looking back. In contrast to traditional mathematics classroom environments, Polya’s Problem-Solving Process allows the students to practice adapting and changing strategies to match new scenarios. As a result, the teachers must assist the students to help them recognize whether the strategy is appropriate, including where and how to apply the technique.

In addition, problem-solving skills are one of the 21st-century skills that need to be mastered by students through education now so then they are prepared to face the challenges of daily life (Khoiriyah and Husamah., 2018). This statement is also supported by Widodo et al. (2018) who put forward four main reasons why students need to master problem-solving skills through mathematics learning. One reason is that sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills are closely related to daily life (Wong, 2015). Such skills can be used to formulate concepts and develop mathematical ideas, a skill that needs to be conveyed according to the school’s content standards. The younger generation is expected to develop critical, logical, systematic, accurate, and efficient thinking when solving a problem. Accordingly, problem solving has become an element that current employers emphasize when looking to acquire new energy sources (Zainuddin et al., 2018). This clearly shows that problem-solving skills are essential skills that must be mastered by students and taken care of by mathematics teachers in primary school.

In the context of mathematics learning in Malaysia, students are required to solve sentence-based mathematics problems by applying mathematical concepts learned at the end of each topic. Two types of sentence-based mathematics problems are presented when teaching mathematics: routine and non-routine (Wong and Matore, 2020). According to Nurkaeti (2018), routine sentence-based math problems are questions that require the students to solve problems using algorithmic calculations to obtain answers. For non-routine sentence-based math problems, thinking skills and the ability to apply more than one method or solution step are needed by the student to solve the problem (Shawan et al., 2021). According to Rohmah and Sutiarso (2018), problem-solving skills when solving a non-routine sentence-based mathematical problem is a high-level intellectual skill where the students need to use logical thinking and reasoning. This statement also aligns with Wilson's (1997) opinion that solving non-routine sentence-based mathematics always involves high-order thinking skills (HOTS). To solve non-routine and HOTS fundamental sentence-based math problems, a student is required to know various problem-solving strategies for solving the problems (Wong and Matore, 2020). This situation has indirectly made the mastery of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills among students more challenging (Mahmud, 2019).

According to Alkhawaldeh and Khasawneh’s findings (2021), the failure of students stems from the teachers’ inability to perform their role effectively in the classroom. This statement is also supported by Abdullah (2020). He argues that the failure of students in mastering non-routine sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills is due to the teachers rarely supplying these types of questions during the process of learning mathematics in class. A mathematics teacher should consider this issue because the quality of their teaching will affect the students’ mastery level of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills.

In addition, the teachers’ efforts to encourage the students to engage in social interactions with the teachers (Jatisunda, 2017) and the teachers’ method of teaching and assessing the level of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills (Buschman, 2004) are also challenges that the teachers must face. Strategies that are not appropriate for the students will affect the quality of delivery of the sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills as well as cause one-way interactions to exist in the classroom. According to Rusdin and Ali (2019), a practical teaching approach plays a vital role in developing the students’ skills when mastering specific knowledge. However, based on previous studies, the main challenges that mathematics teachers face when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem solving are due to the students. These challenges include the students having difficulty understanding sentence-based math problems, lacking knowledge about basic mathematical concepts, not calculating accurately, and not transforming the sentence-based mathematics problems into an operational form (Yoong and Nasri, 2021). This also means that they cannot transform the sentence-based math problems into an operational form (Yoong and Nasri, 2021). As a result, the teacher should diversify his or her teaching strategy by emphasizing understanding the mathematical concepts rather than procedural teaching to reinforce basic mathematical concepts, to encourage the students to work on any practice problems assigned by the teacher before completing any assignments to help them do the calculation correctly, and engaging in the use of effective oral questioning to stimulate student thinking related to the operational need when problem solving. All of these strategies actually help the teachers facilitate and lessen the students’ difficulty understanding sentence-based math problems (Subramaniam et al., 2022).

Meanwhile, Dirgantoro et al. (2019) stated several challenges that the students posed while solving the sentence-based problem. For example, students do not read the questions carefully, the students lack mastery of mathematical concepts, the students solve problems in a hurry due to poor time management, the students are not used to making hypotheses and conclusions, as well as the students, being less skilled at using a scientific calculator. These factors have caused the students to have difficulty mastering sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills, which goes on to become an inevitable challenge in maths classes. Therefore, teachers need to study these challenges to self-reflect so then their self-professionalism can be further developed (Dirgantoro et al., 2019).

As for the school factor, challenges such as limited teaching resources, a lack of infrastructure facilities, and a large number of students in a class (Rusdin and Ali, 2019) have meant that a conducive learning environment for learning sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills cannot be created. According to Ersoy (2016), problem-solving skills can be learned if an appropriate learning environment is provided for the students to help them undergo a continuous and systematic problem-solving process.

To develop sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills among students, various models, pedagogies, activities, etc. have been introduced to assist mathematics teachers in delivering sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills more effectively (Gurat, 2018; Khoiriyah and Husamah., 2018; Özreçberoğlu and Çağanağa, 2018; Hasibuan et al., 2019). However, students nowadays still face difficulties when trying to master sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills. This situation occurs due to the lack of studies examining the challenges faced by these mathematics teachers and how teachers use teaching approaches to overcome said challenges. This has led to various issues during the teaching and facilitation of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills in mathematics classes. According to Rusdin and Ali (2019), these issues need to be addressed by a teacher wisely so then the quality of teaching can reach the best level. Therefore, mathematics teachers must understand and address these challenges to improve their teaching.

However, so far, not much is known about how primary school mathematics teachers face the challenges encountered when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and what approaches are used to address the challenges in the context of education in Malaysia. Therefore, this study needs to be carried out to help understand the teaching of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills in primary schools (Pazin et al., 2022). Due to the challenges when teaching mathematics as stipulated in the Mathematics Curriculum and Assessment Standard Document (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2020a) which emphasizes mathematical problem-solving skills as one of the main skills that students need to master in comprehensive mathematics learning, this study focuses on identifying the challenges faced by mathematics teachers when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches that mathematics teachers have used to overcome those challenges. The results of this study can provide information to mathematics teachers to help them understand the challenges when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches that can be applied to overcome the challenges faced. Therefore, it is very important for this study to be carried out so then all the visions set within the framework of the Malaysian National Mathematics Curriculum can be successfully achieved.

The issue of students lacking mastery of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills is closely related to the challenges that teachers face and the teaching approach used. Based on the overall findings of the previous studies, the factors that pose a challenge to teachers when delivering sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills include challenges from the teacher (Buschman, 2004; Jatisunda, 2017; Abdullah, 2020), challenges from the pupils (Dirgantoro et al., 2019), and challenges from the school (Rusdin and Ali, 2019). As for the teaching approach, previous studies have suggested teaching approaches such as mastery learning, contextual learning, project-based learning, problem-based learning, simulation, discovery inquiry, the modular approach, the STEM approach (Curriculum Development Division, 2019), game-based teaching which uses digital games (Muhamad et al., 2018), and where a combination of the modular approach especially the flipped classroom is applied alongside the problem-based learning approach when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem solving (Alias et al., 2020). This is as well as the constructivism approach (Jatisunda, 2017). The conceptual framework in Figure 1 illustrates that the teachers will face various challenges during the ongoing teaching and facilitation of sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills.

The objective of this study was to determine the challenges that teachers face while teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches used when teaching those skills. Therefore, a qualitative research approach in the form of a case study was used to collect data from the participants in a Chinese national type of school (SJKC) in Bangsar and Pudu, in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The school, SJKC, in the districts of Bangsar and Pudu, was chosen as the location of this study because the school is implementing the School Transformation Program 2025 (TS25). One of the main objectives of the TS25 program is to apply the best teaching concepts and practices so then the quality of the learning and teaching in the classes is improved. Thus, schools that go through the program are believed to be able to diversify their teachers’ teaching and supply more of the data needed to answer the questions of this study. This is because case studies can develop an in-depth description and analysis of the case to be studied (Creswell and Poth, 2018). All data collected through the observations, interviews, audio-visual materials, documents, and reports can be reported on in terms of both depth and detail based on the theme of the case. Therefore, this study collected data related to the challenges and approaches of SJKC mathematics teachers through observations, interviews, and document analysis.

Two primary school mathematics teachers who teach year four mathematics were selected to be the participants of this research using the purposive sampling technique to identify the challenges faced and the approaches used to overcome those challenges. The number of research participants in this study was sufficient enough to allow the researcher to explore the real picture of the challenges found when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches that can be applied when teaching to overcome the challenges faced. According to Creswell and Creswell (2018), the small number of study participants is sufficient when considering that the main purpose of the study is to obtain findings that can give a holistic and meaningful picture of the teaching and learning process in the classroom. However, based on the data analysis for both study participants, the researcher considered repeated information until it reached a saturation point. The characteristics of the study participants required when they were supplying the information for this study were as follows:

New or experienced teachers.

The types of instruments used in the study were the observation protocol, field notes, interview protocol, and participants’ documents. In this study, the researcher used participatory type observations to observe the teaching style of the teachers when engaged in sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills lessons. Before conducting the study, the researcher obtained consent to conduct the study from the school as well as informed consent from the study participants to observe their teaching. During the observation, the teacher’s teaching process was recorded and transcribed using the field notes provided. Then, the study participants submitted and validated the field notes to avoid biased data. After that, the field notes were analyzed based on the observation protocol to identify the teachers’ challenges and teaching approaches in relation to sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills. Throughout the observation process of this study, the researcher observed the teaching of mathematics teachers online at least four times during the 2 months of the data collection at the research location.

Semi-structured interviews were used to identify the teachers’ perspectives and views on teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills in terms of the challenges faced when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches used by the teachers to overcome those challenges. To ensure that the interview data collected could answer the research questions, an interview protocol was prepared so then the required data could be collected from the study participants (Cohen et al., 2007). Two experts validated the interview protocol, and a pilot study was conducted to ensure that the questions were easy to understand and would obtain the necessary data. Before the interview sessions began, the participants were informed of their rights and of the related research ethics. Throughout the interview sessions, the participants were asked two questions, namely:

What are the challenges faced when teaching mathematical problem-solving skills earlier?

Semi-structured interviews were used to interview the study participants for 30 min every interview session. The timing ensured sufficient time for both parties to complete the question-and-answer process. Finally, the entire interview process was recorded in audio form. The audio recordings were then transcribed into text form and verified by the study participants.

The types of document collected in this study included informal documents, namely the daily lesson plan documents of the study participants, the work of the students of the study participants, and any teaching aids used. All of the documents were analyzed and used to ensure that the triangulation of the data occurred between the data collected from observations, interviews, and document analysis.

All data collected through the observations, interviews, and documentary analyses were entered into the NVIVO 11 software to ensure that the coding process took place simultaneously. The data in this study were analyzed using the constant comparative analysis method including open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to obtain the themes and subthemes related to the focus of the study (Kolb, 2012). The NVIVO 11 software was also used to manage the data stack obtained from the interviews, observations, and document analysis during the data analysis process itself. In order to ensure that the themes generated from all of the data were accurate, the researcher carried out a repetitive reading process. The process of theme development involved numerous steps. First, the researcher examined the verbatim instruction data several times while looking for statements or paragraphs that could summarize a theme in a nutshell. This process had already been completed during the verbatim formation process of the teaching, while preparing the transcription. Second, the researcher kept reading (either from the same or different data), and if the researcher found a sentence that painted a similar picture to the theme that had been developed, the sentence was added to the same theme. This process is called “pattern matching” because the coding of the sentences refers to the existing categories (Yin, 2003). Third, if the identified sentence was incompatible with an existing theme, a new theme was created. Fourth, this coding procedure continued throughout each data set’s theme analysis. The repeated reading process was used to select sentences able to explain the theme or help establish a new one. In short, the researcher conducted the data analysis process based on the data analysis steps proposed by Creswell and Creswell (2018), as shown in Figure 2.

The findings of this study are presented based on the objective of the study, which was to identify the challenges faced by teachers and the approaches used to addressing those challenges when imparting sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills to students in year four. Several themes were formed based on the analysis of the field notes, interview transcripts, and daily lesson plans of the study participants. This study found that teachers will face challenges that stem from the readiness of students to master sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills, the teachers’ teaching style, and the equipment used for delivering sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills. Due to facing these challenges, teachers have diversified their teaching approaches (Figure 3; Table 1).

Overall, this study has expanded the literature related to the challenges when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches that can be applied while teaching to overcome the challenges faced. This study has shown that students have difficulty mastering sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills because they do not achieve the minimum mastery of factual knowledge, procedural skills, conceptual understanding, and the ability to choose appropriate strategies (Collins and Stevens, 1983). This situation needs to be taken into account because sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills train the students to always be prepared to deal with problems that they will be faced with in their daily life. Through this study, teachers were found to play an essential role in overcoming the challenges faced by choosing the most appropriate teaching approach (Baul and Mahmud, 2021). An appropriate teaching approach can improve the students’ sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills (Wulandari et al., 2020). Teachers need to work hard to equip themselves with varied knowledge and skills to ensure that sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills can be delivered to the students more effectively. Finally, the findings of this study were part of obtaining extensive data regarding the challenges that mathematics teachers face when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches used to address those challenges in the process of teaching mathematics. It is suggested that a quantitative study be conducted to find out whether the findings obtained can be generalized to other populations. This is because this study is a qualitative one, and the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other populations.

The findings of this study can be used as a reference to develop the professionalism of mathematics teachers when teaching mathematical problem-solving skills. However, the study’s findings, due to being formulated from a small sample size, cannot be generalized to all mathematics teachers in Malaysia. Further studies are proposed to involve more respondents to better understand the different challenges and approaches used when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills.

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

This study was reviewed and approved by The Malaysian Ministry of Education. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

AL conceived and designed the study, collected and organized the database, and performed the analysis. AL and MM co-wrote the manuscript and contributed to manuscript revision. All authors read and approved the final submitted version.

The publication of this article is fully sponsored by the Faculty of Education Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and University Research Grant: GUP-2022-030, GGPM-2021-014, and GG-2022-022.

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.