The Influence of Real Object-Assisted Demonstration Model on Understanding Cube and Rectangular Prism Concepts in Fourth Grade Elementary School Students

Mathematical concept understanding, particularly the concepts of cube and rectangular prism, remains a challenge in Indonesia, as international surveys such as PISA and TIMSS indicate low mathematical achievement. One of the reasons for this is the limitation of teaching methods that prioritize lectures and printed media, which make it difficult for students to visualize and understand three-dimensional concepts. This study aims to examine the influence of the concrete object-assisted demonstration method on understanding the concepts of cubes and rectangular prisms, as well as to explore the role of students' prior abilities in the learning process. The method used is a quasi-experiment with a Non-equivalent Control Group Design, involving two groups: the experimental group (demonstration method) and the control group (lecture method), which were given pretests and posttests. The results show that the concrete object-assisted demonstration method significantly improves understanding of the cube and rectangular prism concepts, with the posttest average of the experimental class being higher than that of the control class. Prior ability did not show a significant effect on concept understanding after the treatment, indicating that the demonstration method can reduce the gap in understanding between students with different prior abilities. This study suggests that the use of concrete objects in learning can be an effective solution to improve mathematical concept understanding in elementary schools, without relying on students' prior abilities.