The Effect of Algorithmic Coding Integration on Junior High School Students' Mathematical Problem-Solving Skills

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which demands strong digital literacy, integrating algorithmic coding into mathematics instruction has emerged as an innovative strategy to address junior high school students' low mathematical problem-solving skills. This issue is particularly evident in algebra and number pattern topics among eighth-grade students at SMPN 1 Awan Rante Karua, where students experience difficulties in applying algorithmic logic systematically. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest nonequivalent control group design involving 60 eighth-grade students divided into two groups. The experimental group received mathematics instruction integrated with algorithmic coding through Scratch, including Caesar cipher activities and linear equation loops, over eight instructional sessions, while the control group received conventional instruction. The findings revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group, with an N-Gain score of 0.72 (high category), compared with 0.45 (moderate category) in the control group. Independent-samples t-test analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (Sig. = 0.001 < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that integrating algorithmic coding into mathematics learning effectively enhances junior high school students' mathematical problem-solving skills.