ANALISIS PROSES PEMBELAJARAN MATEMATIKA SISWA DI KELAS OLIMPIADE MATEMATIKA SMP PLUS AR RAHMAT BOJONEGORO

This study aims to analyze the mathematics learning process of students in the Olympiad class at SMP Plus Ar Rahmat Bojonegoro, a boarding-school–based institution with a mathematics achievement development program. The research employed a descriptive qualitative approach with a naturalistic case study design. Data were collected through classroom observations, in-depth interviews, student perception questionnaires, and document analysis, and were then analyzed using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman. The findings show that the teacher implemented problem-based learning strategies, discussion, and gradual scaffolding oriented toward strengthening Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and positioning mathematics as a process of thinking. Although the Lesson Plan (RPP) was prepared in accordance with the principles of active learning, in practice the teacher made flexible adaptations that were not fully reflected in the planning document, yet effectively strengthened students’ cognitive and affective engagement through an emphasis on problem solving and mathematical communication. The main supporting factors of learning include the teacher’s pedagogical competence, school management support, and a conducive boarding-school environment, while the inhibiting factors include limited enrichment time and differences in students’ levels of activeness. These findings affirm that the quality of mathematics learning in the Olympiad class is more strongly determined by the teacher’s adaptive ability to manage classroom dynamics than by procedural compliance with written planning, and they provide empirical contributions to the development of mathematics learning aligned with the principles of the Merdeka Curriculum.