Pengaruh Realistic Mathematics Education terhadap Kemampuan Literasi dan Numerasi Materi Pecahan Kelas III SD

Third-grade students’ literacy and numeracy skills are still low, especially in word problems and fractions, while mathematics instruction remains teacher-centered. This study aimed to determine the effect of the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) model on literacy and numeracy skills in fractions. This quantitative study used an experimental design with a control class and a pretest-posttest. The subjects were 32 students of UPTD SDN Telagabiru 1 (experimental class, RME assisted by fruit and ribbons) and 30 students of SDN Telagabiru 2 (control class, regular instruction). Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene’s test, and an independent sample t-test. The posttest mean of the experimental class (72.84) was higher than that of the control class (62.50), with a mean difference of 10.344 (t = 7.367; df = 60; Sig. < 0.001). The experimental class also started higher (56.44 versus 50.17), but its mean gain was larger (16.40 versus 12.33). RME had a positive effect on literacy and numeracy skills in fractions, although the difference in initial ability needs to be considered.