Improving Geometric Thinking Skills Through a Multisensory-Based CRA Framework in Students with Learning Difficulties and Various Sensory Preferences

Background/Objective. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a multisensory approach based on the CRA framework in enhancing geometric thinking skills among fourth-grade students with learning difficulties in mathematics. It examined the relationship between sense preferences and performance and investigated how interactions among those senses impact the students' performance. Materials/methods. A quasi-experimental approach was established to achieve the objectives of this study. The study sample consisted of 196 students, divided equally into a control and an experimental group. The effect of the intervention upon students' geometric thinking was measured using a pre- and post-test. Additionally, a questionnaire was used to gather data on sensory preferences. Results. The results of this study revealed that students who learned using the multisensory approach based on the CRA framework achieved higher performance (mean = 147.22) than those who studied traditionally (mean = 49.78), and these differences were statistically significant at the significance level (α = 0.05), and the study reveals the predictive value of sensory preferences; it has shown that visual learning is strongly associated with high performance, and it reveals the subtle interactions between sensory preferences. Conclusion. The effectiveness of the multisensory approach based on the CRA framework was shown to improve geometrical thinking skills, and there is a relationship between sensory preferences and students' performance, as well as a relationship between the interaction of different sensory preferences and students' performance