Application of the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) Approach to Improve Middle School Student’s Understanding of Mathematical Concepts

Abstrak

Conceptual understanding is an important aspect of mathematics learning. This study aims to determine the effect of applying the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) approach on junior high school students' mathematical conceptual understanding of the material on the Inter-Angle Relationships. The background of this study is based on the low learning outcomes of students in understanding abstract mathematical concepts. This study used a quasi-experimental method with a nonequivalent control group design. The research population consisted of all seventh-grade students at a public junior high school in Banda Aceh, with two classes selected as samples using simple random sampling. The research instrument was a validated mathematical concept comprehension test. Data analysis was conducted using an independent sample t-test and N-Gain Score calculations to determine the improvement in students' conceptual understanding. The results showed a significant difference between the conceptual understanding of students taught using the CRA approach and those using conventional learning, as indicated by a t-test significance value of 0,000 (< 0,05). In addition, the increase in students' conceptual understanding in the experimental class was in the moderate to high category. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the CRA approach is effective in improving junior high school students' mathematical conceptual understanding, especially in the material on the inter-angle relationships.

Kata kunci

• Mathematics Learning
• conceptual understanding
• concrete representational abstract
• inter-angle relationships
• quasi-experiment