THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A QR CODE-ASSISTED POP-UP BOOK LEARNING MEDIA IN ENHANCING STUDENTS' MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF POLYHEDRA

Abstract

This study was motivated by the low level of mathematical conceptual understanding among eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 3 Brebes in learning polyhedra. The problem was primarily caused by students' difficulties in understanding abstract mathematical concepts and their passive participation during classroom learning. This study aimed to describe the differences in students' mathematical conceptual understanding before and after the implementation of a QR Code-assisted Pop-Up Book learning media and to determine its effectiveness in teaching polyhedra.This research employed a quantitative approach using a pre-experimental method with a one-group pretest–posttest design. The population consisted of 336 eighth-grade students from eleven classes at SMP Negeri 3 Brebes. The sample was selected through cluster random sampling, resulting in Class VIII E (30 students) as the experimental group. Data were collected using an essay-based mathematical conceptual understanding test and analyzed through the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, the Paired Sample t-Test, and the N-Gain Score.The findings revealed that the average pretest score increased from 47.13 to 72.53 on the posttest. The Paired Sample t-Test showed that the calculated t value (29.703) exceeded the critical t value (2.045), with a significance value of 0.000 < 0.05, indicating a statistically significant difference in students' mathematical conceptual understanding before and after the treatment. Furthermore, the average N-Gain score was 0.775 (77.54%), which falls into the high category and indicates that the learning media was effective. It can therefore be concluded that the QR Code-assisted Pop-Up Book learning media is effective in improving the mathematical conceptual understanding of eighth-grade students in learning polyhedra during the second semester of the 2025/2026 academic year at SMP Negeri 3 Brebes.