Analysis of counting learning difficulties in illiterate adults

Based on the socio-economic survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (2018), there are 3.29 million people or 1.93% of Indonesians who bear illiteracy (read, write, and count). Their average is 45 years old and above, living in rural areas, and most women. They need to be taught to read, write, and count. This study focuses on the analysis of the difficulty of learning to count. The research method used is a case study at PKBM Pratama in Indramayu District. The research subject is 17 learners. Data collection techniques include observations, interviews, and documentation studies, while data analysis is conducted with preliminary study stages, data collection, data reduction, data presentation, confirmation, and withdrawal of conclusions. This study found that the blind students’ difficulty of learning in the PKBM Pratama were the barriers to learning concentration, quickly bored, the vision began to diminish, felt saturated, and feelings of inferiority with the community environment. Especially in counting learning, the difficulty is in understanding the counts' symbols and interpreting the measurement results between theory and practice in daily life. The research recommendation is that educators need to provide examples and simulations realistically in counting learning so that students understand more about the concept of interpretation of measurement results and count symbols in the daily life of learners.