Indonesian Journal of Instruction
Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): January

The Relationship Between Students Engagement, Creativity, and Fractions Understanding through the Use of Manipulative Materials in Elementary School

Kristin Rainane (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Yoppy Wahyu Purnomo (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Anwar Novianto (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Nurtanio Agus Purwanto (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Resky Nuralisa Gunawan (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 Jan 2026

Abstract

Education fundamentally aims to develop students’ potential optimally; however, in practice, mathematics learning still faces challenges, particularly low student engagement due to the abstract nature of the material, especially in fraction concepts. This study aims to analyze the effect of using manipulative media on students’ activeness, creativity, and understanding of fraction concepts at the elementary school level. The study employed a quantitative approach with a descriptive correlational method. The participants consisted of a group of students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire based on a Likert scale, covering the variables of activeness, creativity, and conceptual understanding. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to describe learning tendencies, as well as Spearman correlation analysis to examine relationships among variables. The results indicate that the use of manipulative media has a positive and significant effect on improving students’ activeness, creativity, and conceptual understanding. In addition, the relationships among variables show positive correlations with strengths ranging from moderate to very strong. The findings suggest that manipulative media are effective in enhancing active participation, fostering creative thinking, and strengthening students’ understanding of fraction concepts. The implications of this study highlight the importance of integrating manipulative media into mathematics instruction to improve the quality of both the learning process and outcomes at the elementary level.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

IJI

Publisher

Subject

Social Sciences

Description

Indonesian Journal of Instruction (IJI) is an internationally recognized journal in the field of education and is published four times a year (in January, mei september). The aim of this journal is to publish high quality studies in the areas of instruction, learning, teaching, curriculum ...