Pengaruh Loose Parts Kontekstual Pesisir terhadap Kemampuan Matematika Awal Anak Usia 5–6 Tahun

The use of materials familiar to children provides a context for early mathematics learning through guided play. This study aimed to analyze, through simulation, the effect of loose parts activities grounded in a coastal context on the early mathematics skills of children aged 5–6 years within the setting of TK Pembina in Pangkep Regency. The study employed a quantitative approach based on a controlled synthetic dataset representing a quasi-experimental nonequivalent pretest–posttest control group design, with 20 children each in the experimental and control groups. The intervention scenario included 12 guided play sessions using safe, cleaned, and developmentally appropriate materials, namely seashells, pebbles, seeds, string, bottle caps, and pieces of wood. Early mathematics skills encompassed five domains: classification, numbers and counting, patterns, geometry/spatial skills, and measurement. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, assumption tests, paired tests, gain comparisons, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with pretest scores as a covariate. The simulation results showed an increase in the experimental group mean from 56.40 (SD = 6.15) to 77.75 (SD = 10.60), while the control group mean increased from 53.20 (SD = 5.08) to 64.40 (SD = 10.34). The difference in gains was statistically significant, t = 3.61, p < 0.001, with a large effect size (d = 1.14). ANCOVA showed a between-group difference after controlling for baseline scores, F(1, 37) = 11.84, p = 0.001, ηₚ² = 0.24. The most pronounced improvements occurred in the numbers and counting domain and the patterns domain. These results provide an analytical illustration of patterns of improvement in early mathematics skills within a play scenario situated in a coastal context, but do not yet constitute empirical evidence of the intervention’s effectiveness. Further testing requires verified field data, a larger sample, and follow-up measurements.