<![CDATA[Mathematical understanding ability is one of the essential competencies that elementary school students must possess, as it serves as the foundation for solving various mathematical problems as well as real-life situations. However, in practice, many students still face difficulties in developing a deep understanding of mathematical concepts, which is often caused by the lack of varied learning strategies and low learning interest. This study aims to determine: (1) the effect of the Make a Match learning strategy on students’ mathematical understanding ability, (2) the effect of learning interest on mathematical understanding ability, and (3) the interaction effect between the Make a Match learning strategy and learning interest on mathematical understanding ability. This research employed a quasi-experimental method with a 2×2 factorial design. The population consisted of third-grade students at SDN Rawa Badak Selatan 09, with a purposive sample of 42 students. Research instruments included an essay test to measure mathematical understanding ability and a Likert-scale questionnaire to assess students’ learning interest. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05. The findings revealed that the Make a Match learning strategy had a significant effect on mathematical understanding ability with a Sig. value of 0.031 < 0.05. Learning interest also showed a significant effect with a Sig. value of 0.000 < 0.05. Meanwhile, there was no interaction effect between the Make a Match strategy and learning interest on mathematical understanding ability, as indicated by a Sig. value of 0.686 > 0.05. These results indicate that both an appropriate learning strategy and high learning interest independently improve students’ mathematical understanding ability. Therefore, the implementation of the Make a Match strategy can serve as an effective alternative in mathematics instruction at the elementary level, while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of fostering students’ learning interest to achieve optimal learning outcomes.]]>
