Mimbar Sekolah Dasar (Elementary School Forum) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing knowledge and innovation in elementary education. Published four times a year (March, June, September, and December) by Elementary Teacher Education Program, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. MSD serves as a platform for educators, researchers, and policymakers to share high-quality research findings, critical reviews, and scholarly discussions that address contemporary issues in the field of basic education. The journal welcomes contributions covering a broad range of topics, including curriculum development, instructional strategies, assessment and evaluation, educational policy, teacher professional development, learning innovations, and the integration of technology in elementary classrooms. MSD is committed to promoting global academic collaboration by publishing articles from both national and international authors, ensuring relevance to diverse educational contexts. Mimbar Sekolah Dasar with eISSN 2502-4795 has been accredited (Sinta 2 since Vol. 7(3) 2020) by The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Decree: 158/E/KPT/2021 & Certificate).
Writing from What You Hear: The Role of Critical Listening in Students' Writing Skills
This study highlights the importance of critical listening and writing as interconnected language competencies that support students’ literacy and cognitive development. In elementary education, listening activities are often limited to passive comprehension and are rarely integrated with productive language skills, such as writing. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the levels of critical listening and writing skills among fifth-grade elementary school students and to analyze the relationship between the two variables. This research employed a quantitative approach with an ex post facto correlational design. The participants consisted of 59 fifth-grade students from a public elementary school in Serang City, Indonesia. Data were collected through observation and tests measuring students’ critical listening and writing skills. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson product-moment correlation analysis. The findings revealed that the students’ average critical listening score was 53.36, while their average writing score was 44.08; both were categorized as moderate. The Pearson correlation test showed a positive and significant relationship between critical listening and writing skills (r = 0.422, p < 0.01). These findings indicate that students with stronger critical listening abilities tend to demonstrate better writing performance. This study contributes to the framework of integrated language learning by emphasizing that critical listening functions as a cognitive foundation for developing coherent and meaningful writing skills in elementary education.
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Promoting Academic Interaction: The Role of Classroom Social Environment in Predicting Student Engagement in Upper Elementary Mathematics
Student engagement plays a crucial role in fostering meaningful mathematics learning in elementary school and is strongly influenced by the classroom’s social environment. However, limited research has examined how classroom social environments predict student engagement in upper elementary mathematics learning and whether this relationship differs by gender. This study aimed to examine the predictive role of the classroom social environment in student engagement in mathematics learning among upper elementary students. A quantitative ex post facto design was employed involving 316 students in Grades IV-VI. Data were collected using validated and reliable Guttman-scale instruments measuring classroom social environment and student engagement in mathematics learning. A normality test with Kolmogorov Smirnov Test indicated that the data were not normally distributed, therefore, nonparametric statistical analyses were applied, including Spearman rank correlation, coefficients of determination, and Mann-Whitney U tests. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between classroom social environment and student engagement in mathematics learning, explaining 24.01% of the variance in engagement, which falls within the moderate category. Female students reported higher perceptions of classroom social environment and engagement, whereas the predictive contribution of the classroom social environment to student engagement in mathematics learning was stronger among male students. Among the dimensions of the classroom social environment, promoting academic interaction emerged as the strongest predictor. These findings highlight the importance of supportive and interactive classroom environments in strengthening engagement in elementary mathematics learning.
Exploring IPAS through Learning Styles: An Analysis of the Influence of Learning Styles on Students’ Conceptual Understanding at SD Alam Islami
Accelerated rates of social and technological change require learning systems that develop scientific thinking, character, and problem-solving abilities beginning at the elementary school level. This research investigates the impact of learning styles, namely, visual, auditory and kinesthetic, on students’ conceptual understanding in IPAS (Integrated Natiral and Social Sciences) at a primary school in Bekasi. In a classroom-based quantitative study, a validated learning style questionnaire and force-related multiple-choice tests were administered to gather data. The assumptions for the analyses were met and tested for normality, as well as homogeneity. The product-moment correlation was used to examine the relationships among the variables, and the significance and proportion of explained variance were also tested. There was a significant positive and useful effect between learning style and conceptual understanding as the findings indicated. Students who preferred visual learning obtained higher levels of understanding when learning was embalmed with visualizations; kinesthetic and auditory learners gained when the instructional strategies were similarly focused on their modality strengths. In total, learning styles explained about one-third of the variance in performance, the rest was related to teaching methods, learning environments and motivation. The research proposes that learner-centered differentiation techniques considering a variety of learning styles may enhance better engagement and depth of conceptual learning. Practical implications are related with what teacher professional development in multimodal pedagogical design and curriculum development should be that is based on the laboratory work with discussion and visual material in the direction of supporting learner diversity.
Integration Experiences of International Students in Life Science Classes in Turkey: A Study on Intercultural Education through Textbooks
This study investigates the growing need for inclusive educational practices in Turkish primary schools, where the number of refugee and international students has been steadily increasing. It focuses on how foreign-national students engage with cultural themes in Life Science classes and how these experiences shape their integration into Turkish culture, values, and identity. Employing a phenomenological research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students from diverse migration backgrounds to capture their lived experiences. The data were analyzed thematically, revealing two interrelated themes. The first theme highlights the role of cultural elements and symbols—such as national holidays, historical figures, monuments, and the Turkish language—in shaping students’ sense of identity and cultural belonging. These elements provided opportunities for reflection and comparison, enabling students to relate Turkish cultural content to their own backgrounds. The second theme demonstrates the influence of language proficiency, ethnicity, and family context on students’ integration processes. Students with higher levels of Turkish language proficiency engaged more actively in cultural learning, while family practices, particularly food traditions and parental influence, played a significant role in transmitting cultural knowledge. Overall, the findings suggest that while textbooks support cultural belonging, deeper intercultural understanding requires more inclusive, contextualized, and experiential representations of diversity to ensure sustainable integration.
The Relationship Between Learning Readiness and Scientific Reasoning Ability of Elementary School Students
This study aims to examine the relationship between learning readiness and the scientific reasoning ability of Grade V students in public elementary schools in Laweyan District. The research problem is based on the fact that the scientific reasoning ability and learning readiness of elementary school-aged students are still underdeveloped. This research employed a quantitative method with a correlational design. The population of this study were all fifth-grade elementary school students in the Laweyan district, with a sample of 100 students taken by cluster random sampling. Data were collected using two techniques, namely a questionnaire to collect data on learning readiness and a written test to assess scientific reasoning ability. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis with the results of the coefficient value of 0.816, p < 0.001, and an R-square of 0.665. These results indicate a significant relationship between learning readiness and scientific reasoning ability. This finding implies that teachers can use the research results as a reference to develop learning strategies that not only focus on students' cognitive abilities but also focus on factors that influence scientific reasoning, one of which is learning readiness. Therefore, the cultivation of these abilities becomes more effective.
Why Is It Difficult to Teach Mathematics? An Analysis from the Perspective of Elementary School/MI Teachers
This study was motivated by the statement that mathematics is a difficult subject. Many students experience difficulties in learning mathematics. This study focuses on answering this rumor from the perspective of elementary school/MI teachers. What difficulties do teachers experience when teaching mathematics, resulting in students having difficulty understanding the material? The objectives of this study are 1) to analyze which mathematics material is considered most difficult by students, 2) why students have difficulty learning this mathematics material, 3) what difficulties students experience when learning mathematics, 4) what difficulties elementary school/MI teachers experience when teaching mathematics, and 5) what kind of mathematics learning should be carried out in the classroom. This study used a survey method, with the population being elementary school/MI teachers on the island of Java, Indonesia. Meanwhile, the sample data was obtained from elementary school/MI teachers spread across the Java region, such as West Java Province, DKI Jakarta, Banten, etc., with 133 respondents. The instrument used was a questionnaire filled out via Google Form and Mentimeter links. The results of the study reveal 1) several mathematics materials that are considered most difficult by students, 2) several factors causing students to experience difficulties in learning mathematics, 3) a mapping of the difficulties students experience when learning mathematics, 4) a grouping of the difficulties that elementary school/MI teachers experience in teaching mathematics, and 5) suggestions for mathematics learning that should be carried out in the classroom.
Elementary School/Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teachers
A Multisensory Approach to Teaching Singing Dynamics in Elementary School
Elementary school music education plays a crucial role in developing students' musical sensitivity and expressive abilities. However, young learners often struggle to understand abstract musical concepts, such as dynamics in singing. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a multisensory approach in teaching singing dynamics to second-grade elementary students by incorporating color as a visual representation and body movement as a kinesthetic reinforcement. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method, utilizing observation, and documentation for data collection. The participants consist of second-grade students engaged in singing lessons where colors represent different dynamic levels, and body movements reinforce their understanding. The results indicate that this approach enhances students’ comprehension of dynamics, increases their engagement in learning, and strengthens the connection between auditory, visual, and kinesthetic perceptions. The study concludes that integrating color and body movement is an effective pedagogical strategy for improving young learners’ understanding of abstract musical concepts, particularly in singing dynamics. These findings suggest that multisensory strategies can be effectively applied by elementary music teachers to support students’ expressive vocal development and engagement in classroom singing activities.
The Effect of CLIS Learning Model on Students Product Creativity in States of Matter Topic
This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Children Learning in Science (CLIS) model in fostering students’ creativity in understanding changes in the states of matter. A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design was employed. The sample consisted of 54 fourth-grade students selected through cluster random sampling, with 27 students in the experimental group and 27 in the control group. Data were collected using validated written tests, with validity assessed through product-moment correlation and reliability measured using Cronbach’s Alpha. Normality, homogeneity, and baseline equivalence tests were conducted to ensure analytical accuracy. Data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test at a 0.05 significance level with SPSS version 23. The results indicate that the CLIS model significantly improves students’ creativity (p = 0.000 < 0.05; t = 6.953 > t-table = 2.006). The experimental group achieved higher post-test scores than the control group, suggesting that the CLIS model enhances creative thinking, independent problem-solving, and active participation. These findings confirm that the CLIS model is an effective alternative for teaching the science and social studies subject, particularly on changes in the states of matter. Theoretically, this study reinforces constructivist principles by demonstrating the model’s role in promoting creativity through active and meaningful learning.
Smart Box Media Development for Teaching Food Chains and Webs in Grade 5
Challenges in delivering instructional materials—particularly on the topics of food chains and webs in science—and limited media variation, as well as low participation and activity among fifth-grade students at SDN X Semarang City, motivated this research. The study focuses on developing the "Doraemon Smart Box," an innovative learning medium tailored to food chain and web concepts in science subjects. This research aims to enhance student participation, offer a more diverse range of educational tools, and facilitate conceptual understanding, creativity, and active engagement in the learning process. The research adopts the Research and Development (RnD) methodology, utilizing the ADDIE development model, which comprises analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation stages. Validity tests demonstrated excellent feasibility, with material experts awarding a score of 97.33% and media experts 94.66%. The material is presented in a clear, systematic manner, with new concepts delivered engagingly through visually appealing features, high-quality images, balanced color composition, and user-friendly operation—all contributing to increased student interest and motivation. Feedback from teacher and student response questionnaires further supports the effectiveness of the media, with scores of 100% and 88.5% respectively, both classified as very good.
Copyright (c) 2026 Linnda Sabilla Cahya Anggraini, Henry Januar Saputra, Mudzanatun (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0