Profile of Meaningful Learning in Mathematics among Elementary School Students on Number and Operations Topics
Article Sidebar
Page Numbers:
359-376
Digital Object Identifier:
10.58578/ijecs.v4i2.9840
Viewed: 55 times
Downloaded: 35 times
LYAS Publisher cordially invites qualified professionals to serve as Editors or Reviewers. Your expertise will make an important contribution to maintaining and strengthening the academic quality of our publications. Interested applicants are kindly requested to complete the application form at the following link: Editors & Reviewers
Please feel free to contact us if you need any further information about the submission process or if you have any additional questions.
Authors:
Yonathan S Pasinggi1* 
Copyright :
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication.
Main Article Content
Abstract
Meaningful learning is a crucial aspect of elementary mathematics instruction, particularly in number and operations topics, which serve as the foundation for further mathematical understanding. However, mathematics learning in elementary schools still tends to emphasize procedural skills and provides limited opportunities for students to connect mathematical concepts with real-life contexts, resulting in less meaningful understanding. This study aims to analyze the profile of meaningful learning in mathematics among elementary school students on number and operations topics. A descriptive method with a qualitative approach supported by quantitative data was employed. The research was conducted at SDN 50 Bonto Panno, Pangkep Regency, during October–November 2025, involving 25 fifth-grade students as research subjects. Data were collected through contextual-based tests on number and operations, a meaningful learning questionnaire, classroom observations, and documentation of students’ work. Data were analyzed by categorizing students’ meaningful learning based on indicators of conceptual understanding, connections to real-life experiences, and the ability to explain and reflect on mathematical concepts. The findings indicate that students’ meaningful learning in mathematics was generally at a moderate level. Students demonstrated adequate procedural understanding of number operations but experienced difficulties in connecting mathematical concepts to contextual situations and verbally explaining the meaning of the concepts learned. These findings suggest that meaningful learning in elementary mathematics requires stronger integration of contextual, reflective, and student-centered instructional practices. This study contributes to elementary mathematics education by providing empirical insight into students’ meaningful learning profiles and highlighting the need to improve instructional strategies that support conceptual understanding in number and operations topics.
Citation Metrics:
Downloads
Article Details
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
References
Andrews, P., Xenofontos, C., & Sayers, J. (2023). Developing conceptual understanding in mathematics education. Routledge.
Ausubel, D. P. (2000). The acquisition and retention of knowledge: A cognitive view. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9454-7
Bakker, A., Cai, J., Zenger, L., & Rasmussen, C. (2021). Meaningful learning in mathematics: A multidimensional perspective. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 106(2), 213–234.
Can, D., & Yetkin Özdemir, İ. E. (2020). An examination of fourth-grade elementary school students’ number sense in context-based and non-context-based problems. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 18(7), 1333–1354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-10022-3
Chang, H., Yang, Y., & Li, X. (2020). Cross-national comparisons of primary grade mathematics performance. ZDM Mathematics Education, 52(6), 1123–1137.
Dewi, N. R., & Surya, E. (2021). Contextual mathematics learning to support students’ conceptual understanding. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1957(1), Article 012034.
Hiebert, J., & Grouws, D. A. (2021). The role of conceptual understanding in mathematics learning. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 52(2), 121–145.
Islam, M. S., Rahman, M. M., & Rahman, M. A. (2024). Procedural fluency and conceptual understanding in elementary mathematics learning. International Journal of Educational Research, 121, Article 102196.
Keguruan, A., Suparno, D., & Hasan, M. (2022). Meaningful learning theory in elementary education: An Ausubelian perspective. International Journal of Instruction, 15(4), 921–936.
Kemendikbudristek. (2022). Kebijakan asesmen nasional dan Asesmen Kompetensi Minimum (AKM). Badan Standar, Kurikulum, dan Asesmen Pendidikan.
Majid, A., Rahman, A., & Nurhadi, M. (2020). Contextual mathematics learning to enhance conceptual understanding of elementary students. Journal on Mathematics Education, 11(2), 295–308.
Novita, R., Zulkardi, Z., & Hartono, Y. (2021). Students’ difficulties in solving contextual mathematical problems. Journal on Mathematics Education, 12(2), 271–286.
Powell, A. B. (2023). Enhancing students’ fraction magnitude knowledge: A study with students in early elementary education. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 70, Article 101042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2023.101042
Prastiyo, A., Zulkardi, & Putra, Z. H. (2024). A systematic literature review of contextual teaching and learning in mathematics education. Journal on Mathematics Education, 15(1), 1–18.
Putra, Z. H., & Zulkardi. (2019). Designing contextual mathematics problems for improving students’ conceptual understanding. Journal on Mathematics Education, 10(3), 403–416.
Rasmini, N. P., & Antara, P. A. (2023). Learning process quality and its influence on students’ conceptual development in primary education. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran, 30(3), 201–214.
Rittle-Johnson, B., & Schneider, M. (2015). Developing conceptual and procedural knowledge in mathematics. In R. C. Kadosh & A. Dowker (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of numerical cognition (pp. 1102–1118). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199642342.013.014
Sari, V. P., & Prabawanto, S. (2020). Students’ procedural and conceptual understanding of number concepts in elementary school. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1521(3), Article 032014.
Silviyanti, D., Kartikasari, D., & Widodo, A. (2023). Students’ difficulties in learning fractions: A conceptual and representational analysis. International Journal of STEM Education, 10(1), Article 58.
Sugiyono. (2020). Metode penelitian kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan R&D (2nd ed.). Alfabeta.
Suryadi, D., & Herman, T. (2018). Contextual mathematics learning and students’ cognitive engagement. Journal on Mathematics Education, 9(2), 187–198.
Tall, D. (2013). How humans learn to think mathematically: Exploring the three worlds of mathematics. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139565202
Widodo, A., & Kartikasari, D. (2025). Contextual mathematics instruction and its effect on higher-order thinking skills. International Journal of STEM Education, 12(1), Article 45.
Yani, M., Bernard, M., & Senjayawati, E. (2025). Reflective contextual learning and its effect on sustainable conceptual understanding in mathematics. Journal of Educational Research and Evaluation, 9(1), 33–47.
Zulkardi, Putra, Z. H., & Hartono, Y. (2017). Developing mathematics teaching through contextual and realistic approaches. Journal on Mathematics Education, 8(1), 1–16.