Comparative Literature Review of Concrete Learning Media, Student Learning Interest, and Mathematical Reasoning in Elementary and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Mathematics Education

Source abstract

Elementary mathematics learning requires instructional approaches that connect abstract concepts with meaningful student experiences. However, research on concrete learning media, student learning interest, and mathematical reasoning has often examined these dimensions separately, limiting an integrated understanding across elementary schools (SD) and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI). This study aimed to critically synthesize the relationships among concrete learning media, student learning interest, and mathematical reasoning and to compare patterns across SD and MI contexts. A qualitative comparative and integrative literature review was conducted using 35 research articles published between 2014 and 2024. Data were collected through systematic identification, screening, and extraction of relevant studies and analyzed using thematic analysis and comparative synthesis. The findings indicate that concrete learning media support meaningful mathematical experiences by enabling students to explore, represent, compare, and connect abstract concepts with observable activities. Learning interest emerged as an engagement-related factor that supports attention, participation, and persistence, while mathematical reasoning represented a higher-order outcome associated with opportunities to explain relationships, identify patterns, and justify solutions. The integrated synthesis suggests a conceptual pathway from concrete learning experiences to engagement and sustained mathematical participation, which creates conditions for mathematical reasoning. Similarities were evident across SD and MI, although implementation varied according to instructional and contextual conditions. The study contributes an integrated conceptual framework for understanding instructional, learner, and outcome dimensions in elementary mathematics education.