ENHANCING MATHEMATICAL LITERACY AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS THROUGH CONTEXTUAL PROBLEM SOLVING

This article investigates how mathematical literacy can be developed in primary school through contextual problem solving, multiple representations, mathematical communication, and formative assessment. Mathematical literacy is defined as the capacity to formulate, employ, and interpret mathematics in situations that are meaningful to learners, rather than as the reproduction of isolated procedures. The study uses a qualitative synthesis of international assessment frameworks, research on mathematical proficiency, realistic mathematics education, learning trajectories, and classroom assessment. The analysis identifies five interdependent dimensions: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and productive disposition. On this basis, the article proposes a six-phase instructional model: contextual entry, problem formulation, representation, strategy construction, explanation and comparison, and transfer. The model emphasizes age-appropriate contexts, manipulatives, drawings, tables, number lines, estimation, and precise mathematical language. It also explains how teachers can differentiate tasks without lowering the central cognitive demand and how errors can be used as evidence of pupils’ reasoning. A sample planning matrix illustrates the connection between teacher actions and observable indicators of progress. The article concludes that mathematical literacy grows when children repeatedly use mathematics to make decisions, justify conclusions, and connect symbolic procedures with quantities, relationships, and real situations.