Visualizing Volume through Unit Cubes: The Effect of Tinkercad 3D Design on Elementary Students’ Conceptual Understanding

Titah Eka Finanda, Ramadhan Kurnia Habibie, Wiryanto Wiryanto, Zaenal Abidin, Erika Maulita Zuliyawati

Abstract

Understanding the concept of cuboid volume requires learning experiences that enable students to connect spatial representations with mathematical relationships meaningfully. This study aimed to analyze the effect of Tinkercad 3D Design on improving students’ conceptual understanding of cuboid volume and to examine differences in conceptual improvement between students who learned using Tinkercad 3D Design and those who used concrete learning media. A quantitative approach was employed using a quasi-experimental method with a Nonequivalent Control Group Design. The participants comprised 54 fourth-grade students from an elementary school in Surabaya, Indonesia, who were assigned to an experimental group and a control group. Data were collected through pretests, posttests, student response questionnaires, and teacher observation guidelines. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, prerequisite tests, a Paired-Samples t-test to examine improvements in conceptual understanding, N-Gain analysis, the Mann–Whitney U test, and effect size analysis. The results indicated that students who learned using Tinkercad 3D Design demonstrated greater improvement in conceptual understanding than those who learned using concrete media, with a moderate effect size. Students’ responses also indicated a highly positive acceptance of the media, particularly in supporting visualization, exploration, and understanding the relationship between dimensions and the volume of cuboids. These findings suggest that Tinkercad 3D Design provides an interactive three-dimensional learning environment that enables students to visualize, manipulate, and explore geometric objects directly. Therefore, Tinkercad 3D Design can serve as an alternative instructional medium to support students’ conceptual understanding of cuboid volume through visual, active, and exploratory learning experiences.

Keywords

Conceptual Understanding; Cuboid Volume; Tinkercad 3D Design

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/paedagogia.v29i3.127184

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