ANALISIS PEMAHAMAN KONSEPTUAL DAN FAKTOR PENYEBAB KESULITAN SISWA KELAS IV SD NEGERI KRAGILAN 03 PADA OPERASI PERKALIAN

Conceptual understanding of multiplication is a crucial foundation of numeracy for elementary school students, yet students often rely on instrumental thinking in practice. This study aims to analyze fourth-grade students' conceptual understanding of multiplication at SD Negeri Kragilan 03 and identify factors causing their difficulties, based on Skemp's relational-instrumental framework. This descriptive qualitative case study involved 11 fourth-grade students and their homeroom teacher as a triangulation source. Data were collected through written tests, task-based interviews, semi-structured interviews, and documentation, then analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model. Students' understanding fell into three profiles: 27% (3 students) demonstrated relational understanding, 45% (5 students) showed instrumental understanding, and 27% (3 students) had not grasped the concept, some exhibiting explicit misconceptions. Internal factors included reliance on rote memorization, low self-confidence, and insufficient independent counting practice, while external factors included limited visual representation, dominance of worksheets, and difficulty translating word problems. This study confirms that procedural computational ability does not necessarily reflect complete conceptual understanding, and proposes remedial instruction directions focused on strengthening relational concepts, varied concrete media, and contextual reasoning practice.