Penelitian ini dilatar belakangi oleh kurangnya kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis dalam menyelesaikan soal cerita pada siswa yang mempunyai peranan penting dalam proses pembelajaran matematika dan merupakan salah satu kemampuan yang harus dikuasai oleh siswa. Berdasarkan pra penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis siswa dalam menyelesaikan soal cerita belum maksimal dikarenakan siswa tidak mengutamakan teknik penyelesaian tetapi lebih memprioritaskan hasil akhir. Ada beberapa teori pemecahan masalah yang dikembangkan oleh beberapa ahli, salah satunya pemecahan masalah berdasakan langkah-langlah Polya. Tujuan penelitian ini menganalisis kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematika dalam menyelesaikan soal cerita berdasarkan langkah-langkah Polya dan penyebab kesalahan siswa dalam pemecahan masalah matematika. Tahapan pemecahan masalah Polya terdiri dari tahap memahami masalah, merencanakan pemecahan, melalukan rencana pemecahan, dan memeriksa kembali. Jumlah populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah 23 dari 23 siswa kelas VIII MTs Al Khairat Tarakan. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan tes dan wawancara. Uji keabsahan data dilakukan dengan teknik triangulasi. Hasil penelitian ini adalah (1) pada tahap memahami banyak siswa yang tidak mengalami kesulitan karena siswa sudah bisa memahami masalah, (2) pada tahap perencanaan ada beberapa siswa yang tidak menuliskan rencana penyelesaian tetapi memahami dengan cara yang akan mereka lakukan unutk menyelesaikan soal tetapi mereka belum terbiasa menuliskan rencananya, (3) pada tahap melaksanakan rencana ada beberapa siswa yang kesulitan karena kurang teliti sehingga tidak menyadari kesalahan yang diperbuat. Hal ini disebabkan karena siswa kurang konsentrasi dalam menyelesaikan soal, dan (4) pada tahap memeriksa kembali ada siswa yang belum mencapai tahapan ini karena mereka belum menyelesaikan tahapan sebelumnya.

Kata Kunci: Identifikasi Kemampuan Pemecahan Masalah Matematis, Soal Cerita, Langkah-Langkah Polya

This research was conducted due to the lack of students' mathematical problem solving ability in solving word problems in which it is an important role in the mathematical learning process and is one of the abilities that must be mastered by students. Based on the preliminary research, it was found that the students' mathematical problem solving ability specifically in solving word problems had not maximized yet, because they did not prioritize the solving techniques but they tended to prioritize the final results. There were several problem solving theories developed by several experts, one of which was problem solving based on Polya's stages. The objective of this research was to analyze mathematical problem solving ability in solving word problems based on Polya's stages and the causes of students' errors in solving the problems. Polya's problem solving stages consisted of understanding the problem, planning a solution, carrying out a solution plan, and rechecking the problems. The total number of population in this research was 23 of 23 students of class VIII of MTs Al Khairat Tarakan. The data were collected by using test and interview. The validity of the data was tested by employing triangulation technique. The results of this research were (1) at the stage of understanding, many students did not experience any difficulties because they were able to understand the problems, (2) at the planning stage, there were some students who did not write a solution plan but they understood the way they would solve the problems, (3) at the stage of implementing the plan, there were some students who had got difficulties because they were not careful enough so that they did not realize the mistakes they had made. This was because they were lack of concentration in solving the problems, and (4) at the rechecking stage, there were few students who had not reached this stage because they had not completed the previous stages. Keywords: Mathematical Problem Solving Ability, Word Problems, Polya’s Problem Solving Stages