Silfia Hayuningrat, Didi Suryadi, Al Jupri, Vanya Aridanthy, Catur Yustika Melati
The constructivist approach to teaching and learning emphasizes the active role of learners in constructing their own knowledge through meaningful experiences. Central to this approach is Vygotsky's concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which represents the distance between a learner's actual developmental level and their potential development level achievable through guidance and support. This study aimed to analyze teachers' ability to effectively implement the ZPD in a constructivist mathematics lesson on trigonometric ratios. Classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student interviews were conducted to gain insights into the teachers' strategies for identifying students' ZPDs, providing scaffolding within the ZPD, facilitating social interactions, and promoting conceptual understanding and knowledge transfer. The findings revealed that effective teachers employed various techniques, such as diagnostic assessments, digital manipulatives, analogies, group work, and contextualized problem-solving, to address individual students' needs within their ZPDs. However, challenges were reported regarding time constraints, large class sizes, and the need for ongoing professional development in constructivist theory and personalized learning systems. The study highlights the importance of equipping teachers with the pedagogical skills and support necessary to successfully implement the ZPD and constructivist principles in their classrooms, ultimately enhancing students' conceptual understanding and meaningful learning experiences. © 2026 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.
Department of Mathematics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia; Indonesia Indonesian Didactical Design Research Development Center (PUSBANGDDRINDO), Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
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