<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze the types of errors made by fifth-grade students at SDN Kalierang 02 when solving whole-number word problems using Polya’s steps, and to identify the factors contributing to these errors. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed, involving 16 fifth-grade students who completed an initial test, four of whom were selected as key informants through purposive sampling based on scores below the school’s minimum learning-achievement criterion, with the class teacher serving as a supporting informant. Data were collected through tests, semi-structured interviews, and observations, then analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model (data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing), with data validity ensured through technique and source triangulation. The results indicate that student errors occurred at every stage of Polya’s method, with patterns varying among informants: at the understanding-the-problem stage, errors ranged from incomplete information recall to an inability to identify given and required information; at the devising-a-plan stage, the most prominent error was the incorrect choice of arithmetic operation due to confusion in mapping the problem’s language to mathematical operations; at the carrying-out-the-plan stage, calculation errors occurred among nearly all informants even when their understanding and plans were accurate; and at the looking-back stage, none of the informants independently verified their answers. Factors contributing to these errors included difficulty comprehending problem information, linguistic misconceptions in operation selection, a tendency to rely on habitual solving strategies without analyzing the problem structure, and haste during calculation.]]>
