RO1: This study aims to examine whether there is a difference in the improvement of mathematical communication skills between students taught using interactive worksheets and those taught without interactive worksheets in Islamic schools.

Technology is not only increasingly adopted in educational settings but also has a significant impact on students’ engagement and performance. These findings affirm the effectiveness of fully integrated technology in enriching STEM education by making abstract concepts more tangible and fostering deeper understanding through experiential learning (Tene et al., 2024). Furthermore, technology in STEM should not be seen merely as a digital tool, but rather as an integral part of the broader STEM Education framework. This means that technology functions as a mediator that bridges students’ cognitive and affective learning. The use of mobile technology has shown a moderate and statistically significant positive effect on primary and secondary school students’ learning, both in cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains (Wang et al., 2022). In this sense, interactive worksheets, GeoGebra, and video prompts can be viewed as technological mediators that guide the enhancement of mathematical communication while also stimulating affective engagement and collaboration.

In this context, from the cognitive perspective, the use of technologies such as GeoGebra, instructional videos, and interactive worksheets has been proven to improve students’ critical thinking, mathematical communication, and conceptual understanding in solving fraction problems. Meanwhile, from the affective perspective, technology fosters emotional engagement, curiosity, as well as values of collaboration and social care through learning contexts relevant to real life, including authentic contexts such as zakat, qurban, Ramadan practices, disaster awareness, herbal medicine, low-carbon food, bees, and biodiversity. These contexts are presented in the form of e-modules and interactive mathematics worksheets available on the Getmath platform.¹

By integrating various STEM disciplines, students can explore the interconnectedness across fields, develop holistic understanding, and equip themselves to face diverse real-world challenges (Sujarwanto et al., 2019). In this study, the theme of Qurban was used as an Islamic context developed in the form of interactive worksheets. The learning activities were designed through contextual problem solving, pattern matching, and visual exploration with GeoGebra, enriched with instructional videos and complemented with the iceberg approach. This approach not only strengthens students’ cognitive understanding of fraction operations but also fosters affective engagement through the internalization of Islamic values such as empathy, social care, and the spirit of sharing in the practice of qurban.

Communication is a vital component of mathematics and mathematics education (NCTM, 2000). Therefore, teachers need to establish strong connections between mathematics and language (Rubenstein and Thompson, 2002; Stigler and Hiebert, 2004), as this connection allows students to express their mathematical ideas more clearly. Such interactions are especially beneficial for young learners, as they help clarify thinking and sharpen understanding as students attempt to make sense of the world through communication (Baroody, 2000; NCTM, 2000).

Furthermore, Pourdavood and Wachira (2015) emphasized that one of the key components influencing success in mathematics is attention to precision, which demands accuracy not only in computation but also in language use. This aligns with the findings of Manouchehri and St John (2006), who argued that communication in mathematics instruction contributes to deeper mathematical analysis for both teachers and students. Furthermore, the development of digital technologies has opened up new opportunities for students to construct and understand mathematical knowledge (Bray and Tangney, 2017), including the enhancement of mathematical communication skills. These skills can be facilitated through contextual, collaborative, and interactive learning strategies. In this study, mathematical communication is developed through the integration of videos and quizzes within interactive worksheets. The use of video prompts and visual simulations can increase students’ cognitive engagement and deepen their understanding of the subject matter.

Islamic values involve ethical reasoning, spiritual reflection, and moral practice. Research has shown the success of integrating Islamic ethics into the educational curriculum, with an emphasis on character development and the instillation of moral values across various fields of study (Ibrahim et al., 2024). These dimensions include honesty in problem-solving, justice in distribution, empathy and solidarity in social contexts, as well as spiritual awareness that mathematics is part of appreciating the order of God’s creation. In this context, the interactive worksheet is supplemented with Qur’anic verses, hadiths, and informational sections related to legal and humanitarian values. For example, “Then eat from them and feed the miserable and poor” (Qur’an, Al-Hajj: 28). This verse emphasizes the social value of empathy and solidarity toward the poor, while also teaching the ethical value of justice in distribution. It also contains a spiritual dimension, as it affirms that the qurban sacrifice is not merely a ritual, but a means of drawing closer to Allah SWT through sharing.

The integration of Islamic values in education is crucial in developing holistic character following the national and religious educational goals (Ferdinan and Pewangi, 2025). Mathematics in Islamic culture has broad scope and a high level of integration with religious teachings (Høyrup, 1987). Topics such as inheritance distribution, zakat, and arithmetic operations involving integers and fractions are closely related to Islamic religious education (Halistin et al., 2022). This connection provides opportunities for educators to develop learning Islamic-based trajectories that not only sharpen students’ thinking skills but also help them learn in a more focused, meaningful, and enjoyable way, while supporting character development (Muslimin et al., 2020). Accordingly, Islamic value-based learning trajectories can be effectively packaged in the form of interactive worksheets to optimize the learning process. The development of digital interactive student worksheets aims to make learning more optimal by facilitating two-way interaction, unlike conventional worksheets (Sumarmi et al., 2021; Lindenbauer, 2020). This demonstrates that technology-based learning media, such as interactive worksheets, offer the potential to create more dynamic, meaningful, and interactive learning experiences. Research by Wibawa et al. (2018) showed that creative digital worksheets based on mobile learning are effective in improving student learning outcomes. These findings reinforce the idea that interactive worksheets are not only useful for practicing mathematical problems but also serve as a medium to instill religious values through contextual mathematical activities. Therefore, the use of interactive worksheets that integrate Islamic values may offer an alternative solution to realizing mathematics instruction oriented toward noble character development while enhancing students’ mathematical communication skills.

This study employed a quantitative method with pretest and posttest (Creswell, 2014). Two groups were randomly selected, and a test of mathematical communication skills and a questionnaire related to students’ knowledge of Islamic values were administered. The research design is presented in Figure 1, where O1, O3 = pretest in Islamic School and regular school; X = use of interactive worksheet; where O2, O4 = posttest in Islamic School and regular school.

Data on students’ mathematical communication skills and their knowledge of Islamic values in this study were collected through pretests and posttests administered in both the experimental and control classes. The pretest was given prior to the instructional intervention to assess students’ initial abilities. The instruction was then conducted over three sessions, followed by a posttest to measure the improvement in students’ mathematical communication skills and their understanding of Islamic values.

Teachers implemented a structured learning approach in both the control and experimental classes. However, the control class used standard student worksheets with Qurban context. In this class, the teacher only guided students through conventional written activities without interactive digital media. In contrast, the experimental class utilized interactive worksheets alongside GeoGebra and video prompts. Students accessed and completed the interactive worksheets using computers at the school. The interactive worksheet used in this study followed the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) approach and was contextualized with the theme of Qurban. It was uploaded to the Getmath platform (see text footnote 1). Figure 2 presents a detailed overview of the interactive worksheet menu.

Learning activities to enhance students’ mathematical communication skills and understanding of Islamic values were conducted over three sessions, each lasting 3 × 40 min (3 class periods). Activities were designed using the RME approach, which includes the use of the Iceberg model. In the first meeting, the learning activities were designed in structured stages to develop students’ formal understanding of addition and subtraction of fractions through interactive worksheets. The session began with the screening of a stimulus video introducing the context of Qurban, aimed at activating students’ real-life knowledge, followed by a video related to the concept of fractions to reinforce prerequisite skills. In the Situation stage of the worksheet, students were presented with a contextual problem: Mrs. Sarah receives the meat divided into four equal parts, with ¼ of the meat will be cooked into an Indonesian beef stew (Semur), and another ¼ will be made into jerky (dendeng). Students were asked to identify and write the mathematical operations that represent the total amount of meat to be cooked. In the Model of stage, students sketched visual representations of the problem and expressed them in the form of addition and subtraction operations involving fractions. They were also asked to construct their fraction models based on the context and to illustrate these models. In the Model for stage, students solved similar contextual problems using varied representations, including fraction strips and number lines that could be digitally manipulated within the worksheet. Additionally, the GeoGebra application supported students in interactively exploring the addition and subtraction of fractions. These activities were accessible through the following links: https://www.geogebra.org/m/EK55dCFh, https://www.geogebra.org/m/u5gsZUhV, https://www.geogebra.org/m/GceeVgnb. Finally, in the Formal Knowledge stage, students were guided to inductively formulate general rules for the addition and subtraction of fractions by identifying patterns from the previous activities. They articulated their generalizations in written form and compared them with the formal mathematical rules provided in the worksheet.

In the second meeting, the learning activities were similarly structured to support students’ formal understanding of multiplication of fractions through interactive worksheets. The session opened with a stimulus video portraying a Qurban context in which Mr. Andi slaughters a 15 kg goat and distributes the meat to the poor. This video served to activate students’ prior knowledge while introducing a meaningful real-world context to support the exploration of mathematical concepts. In the Situation stage, students were presented with the following contextual problem: “As a sacrifice committee member, you need to distribute meat to eight people. If each person receives 1½ kg of meat, how much meat is needed in total?” Students were asked to determine the total quantity of meat required and the portion received by the owner of Qurban (Figure 3). In the Model of stage, students constructed a visual representation of the problem by drawing eight bags of meat, each containing 1½ kg, and writing the corresponding multiplication expression: 8 × 1½.

They were then given an additional problem: “Mrs. Ani made one cake and gave ½ of it to three members of the Qurban committee. How much of the cake did each person get?” Students illustrated the division of ½ of the cake into three equal parts. In the Model for stage, students solved contextual problems involving the multiplication of fractions and created visual representations to support their reasoning. They also calculated the exact outcomes of the operations. In this stage, students engaged in group discussions to interpret the meaning of “⅓ of ½” and explained their reasoning through visual and verbal explanations. In the Formal Knowledge stage, students were guided to inductively derive the general rule for multiplying fractions by identifying patterns from the prior tasks. They then formulated conclusions about how to multiply whole numbers by fractions and how to multiply fractions by other fractions.

The third meeting focused on developing students’ understanding of fraction division operations through a gradual, context-based, and visualization-driven approach. The features embedded in the interactive worksheet were designed to ensure that each component actively contributes to the progression of students’ understanding, from real-life contexts to formal abstractions, facilitating the construction of meaningful formal knowledge, even with a limited number of core problems. Each activity was structured into multiple stages, including prediction, visualization, manipulation, reflection, and generalization. The learning began with the Situation stage, in which students were presented with a contextual problem: “Mr. Ali has a supply of 13 kg of grass. A goat consumes 1⅓ kg of grass per day. How can you help Mr. Ali determine how long the grass will last?” Students were asked to identify key information and determine the appropriate mathematical operations to apply. In the Model stage, students created visual representations of the problem by drawing bar or block diagrams that illustrate the 13 kg of grass grouped into 1⅓ kg portions. This activity aimed to provide a concrete understanding of how many 1⅓ kg portions fit into 13 kg, serving as the foundation for the concept of fraction division. In the Model for stage, students generalized the concept of division through additional exercises. They solved a variety of contextual and non-contextual problems, such as: “How many ½ are in 1?,” “How many ¼ are in ½?,” and “How many ½ are in ¼?” In this stage, students not only computed the results of division but also created visual representations to support their reasoning. They engaged in group discussions to explain the meaning of fraction division using both diagrams and verbal explanations. This process supported students in identifying patterns and understanding the relationship between division and multiplication by inverse. Finally, in the Formal Knowledge stage, students were guided to inductively formulate the general rule for dividing fractions based on the patterns they observed in previous activities. They concluded that fraction division can be performed by multiplying the first fraction by the inverse of the second fraction, expressed as: a b : c d = a b x d c . Thus, the learning process in this third session was intentionally designed to foster students’ formal understanding through a gradual transition from real-world contexts to visual models and, ultimately, to abstract mathematical representations. One of the Iceberg models used in this activity is illustrated in Figure 4.

The population of this study consisted of seventh-grade students from two junior high schools in Banda Aceh, Indonesia: one Islamic school and one regular school. Both schools are supported by the Realistic Mathematics Education Research Center at Universitas Syiah Kuala. Mathematics teachers at both schools have undergone Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) training and actively implement RME in their classrooms.

The mathematics textbook used in Islamic school and regular school is the mathematics text book for year 7, published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in 2022 (Susanto et al., 2021). The students’ initial abilities in each school were equivalent, thus in each school, two classes were randomly selected as samples (experimental and control classes), resulting in a total sample of four classes with 98 students.

The instruments used in this research included a mathematical communication ability test and a questionnaire assessing students’ knowledge of Islamic values. The mathematical communication test was administered before (pretest) and after (posttest) the learning intervention. The test items, developed by Salsabila et al. (2024), consisted of essay questions designed to assess students’ mathematical communication skills based on three indicators formulated by Ansari (2019): (1) explaining mathematical ideas, situations, and relationships in written form using real objects, images, or algebraic expressions; (2) interpreting and evaluating mathematical ideas from problems in writing using their language; and (3) expressing everyday events in mathematical language or symbols. An example of one of the four questions on the communication ability test is presented in Figure 5.

The rubric for scoring mathematical communication skills is presented in Table 1. The total score is generated by summing the scores of the student’s answers, dividing by the maximum possible score, and multiplying by one hundred.

One of the students’ answers to the mathematical communication problem (Figure 4) is presented in Figure 6.

The grass owned by Mr. Andi can last for 5 days.

Given: 1 goat consumes 3 1/4 kg of grass and 1/3 kg of tofu dregs each day.

Mr. Andi provides 16 1/4 kg of grass and 1 2/3 kg of tofu dregs.

Asked:

a. Determine how long the supply of grass and tofu dregs will last.

b. In your opinion, which type of supply will last the longest?

Answer:

The tofu dregs owned by Mr. Andi can last for 5 days.

b. The food supply can last for 5 days.

amount of tofu dregs amount of grass.

Figure 6 shows one of the students’ answers to a mathematical communication problem involving the calculation of how long Mr. Andi’s supply of grass and tofu dregs would last. The student wrote down the given information, performed division calculations for both types of supplies (grass and tofu dregs), and clearly concluded the results. The student scored 4, as the response met the indicator of mathematical communication: Correctly expressing and solving the event fully and effectively.

The mathematical communication test has undergone several stages of validation. First, content validation was carried out by mathematics education lecturers and teachers by aligning the developed test items with the indicators of mathematical communication skills. The results showed that the test items were in accordance with the indicators, with an average content validity score of 4.125, indicating that the instrument falls into the valid category. Subsequently, an empirical validity test was conducted with 98 students, and the results are presented in Table 2.

Table 2 shows that the mathematical communication ability test questions met the validity criteria. Furthermore, the results of the question reliability test are presented in Table 3.

Table 3 shows that the reliability test results (α = 0.488) indicate that the four questions have sufficient reliability. Nevertheless, the previous content validation results support that the test items remain relevant and representative in measuring mathematical communication skills. In addition to validity and reliability testing, students’ responses to the mathematical communication test items were also analyzed, as illustrated in Table 4.

Table 4 shows that there were sentences considered confusing; therefore, the wording was revised to make them clearer without changing the mathematical substance. The results of this revision indicate that readability testing is important to ensure that students clearly understand the meaning of the questions, so that the instrument can function optimally in measuring mathematical communication skills.

The questionnaire assessing students’ knowledge of Islamic values related to Qurban was adopted from Salleh et al. (2023) consisting of 11 items, covering the Laws of Qurban and the Laws of Distribution of Qurban. This questionnaire consists of dichotomous (Yes” and “No”) items. Each correct answer is scored 1, while each incorrect answer is scored 0. These scores are used to measure students’ level of knowledge regarding Islamic values related to Qurban. Since the questionnaire was adopted from a previously validated and proven reliable instrument through rigorous research, no further validity and reliability testing was conducted. The questionnaire was translated into Bahasa and reviewed by a linguist. Additionally, it was tested for readability with Year 7 students. The readability test results showed that the questionnaire was appropriate for use, and students understood the meaning of the items in the list of statements. Although the current questionnaire focuses on students’ factual knowledge regarding the rules and distribution of Qurban, the future development of this instrument should include affective and behavioral indicators, such as attitudes of empathy, justice, and responsibility in the context of mathematical problem-solving, thereby providing a more holistic operationalization of Islamic values.

Data from the mathematical communication test and the questionnaire assessing students’ knowledge of Islamic values were analyzed quantitatively. The stages of data analysis were as follows:

Based on the research findings, there are five key findings that can be discussed. First, there is a significant difference in the improvement of mathematical communication skills between students taught using interactive worksheets and those taught without interactive worksheets in Islamic schools. Second, a similar significant difference is observed in regular schools, where students taught using interactive worksheets show greater improvement in mathematical communication skills compared to those who were not. In addition, the high N-gain scores in the experimental classes indicate that the use of contextual videos and GeoGebra in the interactive worksheets played a role in strengthening students’ understanding of both fraction concepts and Islamic values. In line with this, the integration of science and mathematics through a problem-based approach supported by technology such as GeoGebra can strengthen the learning of both disciplines while also fostering students’ confidence in STEM (Furner, 2024). Moreover, innovative technologies are utilized to transform science, mathematics, and STEM learning in primary and secondary schools, thereby enhancing student engagement, strengthening conceptual understanding, fostering collaboration and communication, and building teachers’ capacity in using technology for pedagogical purposes (Jong et al., 2024).

Bray and Tangney (2017) who found that digital technology offers innovative ways for students to build and comprehend mathematical knowledge. Furthermore, the effectiveness of electronic student worksheets in enhancing mathematical communication skills is supported by Wulandari and Andriyani (2022), whose study revealed a significant increase in students’ post-test scores. In addition, interactive media has been proven effective in exploring students’ mathematical communication abilities while also helping them achieve mastery learning (Ratnaningsih et al., 2024).

Third, there is no significant difference in the improvement of knowledge of Islamic values between students taught using interactive worksheets and those taught without interactive worksheets in Islamic schools. Islamic School students seem accustomed to learning about Islamic values from various sources through the Integrated Islamic School Network (JSIT) curriculum, which mandates the inclusion of Islamic values across all subjects (Muhab, 2014). Haryaningrum et al. (2017) explained that this curriculum includes structured learning activities, self-development, habits, and distinctive school programs, all delivered through a full-day school system. Thus, consistent and comprehensive exposure to Islamic values contributes to relatively stable student knowledge of Islamic values, regardless of the use of interactive worksheets.

Fourth, there is a significant difference in the improvement of knowledge of Islamic values between students taught using interactive worksheets and those taught without interactive worksheets in regular schools. This finding contrasts with the results from Islamic schools. It reinforces the idea that technological advancements in the era of Society 5.0 enable the integration of Islamic values into mathematics instruction to be implemented more easily, thereby facilitating the formation of students’ spiritual and moral character (Triana et al., 2023). The seamless integration of science and Islamic education through mobile media is designed to enhance student learning while fostering an active learning environment that supports the growth of spiritual-religious potential, self-regulation, personal integrity, intelligence, moral character, and key competencies essential to students, society, the nation, and the state. This integration has also been proven effective in cultivating religious character in education (Fahyuni et al., 2020).

Fifth, there is no significant effect of school type on the improvement of students’ mathematical communication skills and knowledge of Islamic values. This indicates that both religious-based and regular schools have equal potential to develop students’ abilities, provided that appropriate instructional interventions are applied. Religious education should equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to fully engage in discussions and decision-making on issues involving religion (Soules and del Nido, 2025). In this context, while school background does not appear to have a significant influence, the use of interactive worksheets does affect the improvement of students’ mathematical communication skills and knowledge of Islamic values. This suggests that the quality of instructional tools is a more decisive factor in learning outcomes than the type of school. Consistent with this finding, mathematics learning tools integrated with Qur’anic values have been shown to enhance students’ spiritual awareness and mathematical attitudes (Winarso and Wahid, 2020).

A potential source of bias lies in the use of computer-based interactive worksheets, which may generate higher levels of enthusiasm among both students and teachers. Technology-based learning methods have been shown to exert a stronger influence on student engagement compared to conventional methods (Fannakhosrow et al., 2022). In addition, teachers who use interactive media often demonstrate greater enthusiasm in delivering lessons, which in turn affects student motivation. The positive impact of teacher enthusiasm on the quality of instruction has been well-documented (Cui et al., 2017; Kunter et al., 2008, 2011, 2013; Lazarides et al., 2018).