<![CDATA[Background: Cultural diversity is central to elementary civic education, yet it is often taught as factual information to be memorized. Such instruction may limit students’ interest and their meaningful understanding of culturally diverse objects and practices. Purpose: This study examined whether the picture-guessing method was associated with greater learning interest and conceptual understanding among fourth-grade students. Method/Approach: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent pretest–posttest design involved 46 students from two intact classes at MI Muhammadiyah Bentak, Central Java. The experimental group (n = 23) participated in picture-guessing activities, while the control group (n = 23) received regular instruction. Conceptual understanding was measured using a 35-item multiple-choice test, while learning interest was assessed using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. Posttest scores were analyzed using independent-samples t tests, 95% confidence intervals, and Hedges’ g. Findings: The experimental group achieved a significantly higher conceptual-understanding score than the control group (M = 73.78 vs. 59.04), t(44) = 2.218, p = .032, mean difference = 14.74, 95% CI [1.35, 28.13], g = 0.64. The experimental group also reported greater learning interest (M = 73.43 vs. 61.48), t(44) = 4.182, p < .001, mean difference = 11.95, 95% CI [6.19, 17.71], g = 1.21. Conclusions: Picture-guessing activities involving culturally meaningful images were associated with higher cognitive and affective outcomes. This method offers a practical option for teaching cultural diversity in elementary classrooms with limited technological resources. Novelty/Originality/Value: This study simultaneously examines conceptual understanding and learning interest in an elementary madrasah context, highlighting the educational value of a simple, reusable visual learning activity.]]>
