Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education
Vol. 4 No. 4 (2025)

The Impact of the Hand Calculator Prism Model on Fourth-Grade Students' Computational Abilities

Jumaroh, Juju (Unknown)
Faiz, Aiman (Unknown)
Afendi, Arief Hidayat (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
18 Oct 2025

Abstract

Indonesian students consistently demonstrate low mathematical literacy in international assessments, with computational difficulties stemming from negative perceptions and monotonous instructional approaches. This study examined the effectiveness of the Hand Calculator Prism model—a finger-based manipulative method—in enhancing fourth-grade students' computational abilities. Employing a pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design, 30 fourth-grade students from SDN 1 Jamblang participated in five structured learning sessions. Data collection utilized computational ability tests, observation sheets, and Likert-scale questionnaires. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, Cohen's d effect size, and Normalized Gain calculations. Significant improvement was observed from pretest (M = 51.27, SD = 8.91) to posttest (M = 85.53, SD = 14.24), yielding a mean gain of 34.26 points. The paired t-test confirmed statistical significance (t = -15.741, p < 0.001) with an exceptionally large effect size (d = 2.86). The N-Gain value of 0.6110 indicated medium-to-high effectiveness. Student responses demonstrated excellent engagement (87% Response, 82% Acceptance). Observational data revealed progressive improvement across implementation sessions, particularly in conceptual understanding and problem-solving activities. The Hand Calculator Prism model represents a viable, resource-accessible pedagogical approach that significantly enhances elementary students' arithmetic skills while fostering positive attitudes toward mathematics learning.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jirpe

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Other

Description

Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education (JIRPE) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes original research and review articles primarily but limited to the area of elementary school education. It brings together academics and researchers from different countries who ...