Home⇛Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives⇛vol. 4 no. 4 (2026)

Effects of the Concrete–Representational–Abstract (CRA) Approach on Grade 6 Students’ Fraction Achievement and Attitudes

Enjoy Jelyn L. Jimenez

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

This study addressed the persistent difficulty elementary learners experience with fractions and the limited classroom-based evidence on short Concrete–Representational–Abstract (CRA) interventions in Philippine public schools. This study aimed to determine the effects of a five-week CRA intervention on Grade 6 students’ achievement in fractions and attitudes toward learning fractions. Using a quasi-experimental one-group pretest– posttest design, the study involved one intact Grade 6 class (N = 45). Matched pretest–posttest data were available for 39 students on the researcherassembled fraction achievement test based on released TIMSS-style items (35 points) and for 40 students on the adapted Mathematics Attitude Scale. Lessons progressed from hands-on fraction models to drawings and then to symbols and procedures, with explicit bridging across stages. Achievement scores increased from M = 5.92 (SD = 4.03) to M = 13.18 (SD = 6.05), t(38) = 12.63, p < .001, dz = 2.02. Attitude ratings improved from M = 3.52 (SD = 0.62) to M = 3.88 (SD = 0.40), t(39) = 5.49, p < .001, dz = 0.87. The CRA approach was effective in improving both fraction achievement and class attitudes, indicating that sequenced and connected representations can support conceptual understanding and learner confidence. These findings highlight CRA as a practical, classroom-feasible instructional strategy for elementary mathematics instruction.



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