Integrating Local Culture-Based Learning Media in Multilingual Classrooms: An Analytical Study of Implementation and Educational Impact
Keywords:
Culturally responsive pedagogy, Toraja culture, multilingual classrooms, local learning media, English language teaching
Abstract
This study investigates the implementation of local culture-based learning media, specifically grounded in Toraja culture, within multilingual English classrooms at Universitas Kristen Indonesia Toraja. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through classroom observations, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with English lecturers who actively integrate Torajan cultural elements—such as traditional narratives, rituals, and symbolism—into English language instruction. The findings reveal that such integration fosters culturally responsive instructional strategies, enhances student engagement, supports linguistic and intercultural competence, and affirms learners’ cultural identities. Lesson materials and teaching practices proved a successful bridging of content knowledge and cultural relevance, making English learning more accessible and meaningful. While the approach yielded clear pedagogical benefits, it also highlighted challenges including limited access to culturally adapted materials and the need for institutional support. The study concludes that with proper structural backing, the integration of local cultural media has transformative potential for inclusive, identity-affirming language education in multilingual contexts.
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References
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Oleson, A., & Hora, M. T. (2014). Teaching the way they were taught? Revisiting the sources of teaching knowledge and the role of prior experience in shaping faculty teaching practices. Higher Education, 68(1), 29–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10734-013-9678-9/METRICS
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Pendergast, D., Allen, J., McGregor, G., & Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2018). Engaging Marginalized, “At-Risk” Middle-Level Students: A Focus on the Importance of a Sense of Belonging at School. Education Sciences 2018, Vol. 8, Page 138, 8(3), 138. https://doi.org/10.3390/EDUCSCI8030138
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Prosser, M., & Sze, D. (2014). Problem-based learning: Student learning experiences and outcomes. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 28(1–2), 131–142. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699206.2013.820351
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Stein, K. C., Mauldin, C., Marciano, J. E., & Kintz, T. (2024). Culturally responsive-sustaining education and student engagement: a call to integrate two fields for educational change. Journal of Educational Change, 26(1), 29–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10833-024-09510-3/METRICS
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Zaidi, R., & El Chaar, D. (2022). Identity texts: an intervention to internationalise the classroom. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 17(3), 167–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2020.1860060
Barrett, M., & Borghetti, C. (2025). What Is Intercultural Competence? Handbook of Diversity Competence, 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-69308-3_7
Benjamin-Raymore, C. (2023). A Phenomenological Study on the Lived Experience of Diverse Learners in the Middle School Classrooms Who Failed the Final Exam in Reading and Comprehension at the End of the School Year. Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4190
Bernstein, E., & Lysniak, U. (2017). Semi-Structured Interviews and Non-Participant Observations: Teacher Instruction of Competitive Activities for Multicultural Students. Semi-Structured Interviews and Non-Participant Observations: Teacher Instruction of Competitive Activities for Multicultural Students. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526444134
Bustomi, A. A., Khosiah, N., & Fathurrohman, A. (2025). Developing Pancasila Learning Strategies through Culture-Based Interactive Media in Elementary Schools. Assyfa Learning Journal, 3(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.61650/ALJ.V3I1.622
Campbell, S., Greenwood, M., Prior, S., Shearer, T., Walkem, K., Young, S., Bywaters, D., & Walker, K. (2020). Purposive sampling: complex or simple? Research case examples. Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/1744987120927206, 25(8), 652–661. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987120927206
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2017). Thematic analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(3), 297–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613
Creswell, J. W. (2021). A Concise Introduction to Mixed Methods Research. In SAGE publications (2nd ed.). SagePublication.
De, T. O., Garza, L., Lavigne, A. L., & Si, S. (2020). Culturally Responsive Teaching through the Lens of Dual Language Education: Intersections and Opportunities. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(4), 1557. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080450
Dyches, J., & Boyd, A. (2017). Foregrounding Equity in Teacher Education: Toward a Model of Social Justice Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. Journal of Teacher Education, 68(5), 476–490. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487117705097
Fitrianto, I., & Farisi, M. (2025). Integrating Local Wisdom into 21st Century Skills: A Contextual Framework for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Rural Classrooms. International Journal of Post Axial: Futuristic Teaching and Learning, 3(2), 109–121. https://doi.org/10.59944/POSTAXIAL.V3I2.444
Hatoss, A. (2019). Linguistic landscapes: An experiential learning project for developing intercultural competence. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 42(2), 146–170. https://doi.org/10.1075/ARAL.00022.HAT/CITE/REFWORKS
Hattan, C., Alexander, P. A., & Lupo, S. M. (2024). Leveraging What Students Know to Make Sense of Texts: What the Research Says About Prior Knowledge Activation. Review of Educational Research, 94(1), 73–111. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221148478/ASSET/7974B6EE-E13B-4734-ACB2-7ABBF18C514D/ASSETS/IMAGES/LARGE/10.3102_00346543221148478-FIG1.JPG
Hidayah, H., Sahraini, S., & Jufriadi, J. (2024). Bridging Cultures Through Language: Developing English-Speaking Materials for Multicultural Education Contexts. Elsya : Journal of English Language Studies, 6(3), 244–264. https://doi.org/10.31849/ELSYA.V6I3.21270
Hui, G., & Lin, C. (2008). Pedagogies Proving Krashen’s Theory of Affective Filter. Online Submission, 14, 113–131.
Jessner, U., & Allgäuer-Hackl, E. (2022). Metacognition in multilingual learning and teaching: Multilingual awareness as a central subcomponent of metacognition in research and practice. AILA Review, 35(1), 12–37. https://doi.org/10.1075/AILA.22010.JES
Lara Velarde, A. C., & Leech Morejon, A. V. (2025). Context-based learning and its possibilities to enhance the teaching and learning of english focused on cultural identity development. http://dspace.unach.edu.ec/handle/51000/15081
Li, Y. (2022). Inheritance and development of traditional culture : a new path for design education reform in China. https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/11949
Maine, F., Cook, V., & Lähdesmäki, T. (2019). Reconceptualizing Cultural Literacy as a Dialogic Practice. London Review of Education, 17(3), 383–392. https://doi.org/10.18546/LRE.17.3.12
Makalela, L. (2018). Moving out of linguistic boxes: the effects of translanguaging strategies for multilingual classrooms. Language in Epistemic Access, 24–41. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315229744-3
Meng, S. (2023). Enhancing Teaching and Learning: Aligning Instructional Practices with Education Quality Standards. Research and Advances in Education, 2(7), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.56397/RAE.2023.07.04
Oleson, A., & Hora, M. T. (2014). Teaching the way they were taught? Revisiting the sources of teaching knowledge and the role of prior experience in shaping faculty teaching practices. Higher Education, 68(1), 29–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10734-013-9678-9/METRICS
Patlan, Q. (2024). Pursuing a voice with poetic-economic freedom in a hemispheric indigenous marketplace : exploring Otavalan Runa linguistic and visual creations in a global economy. https://doi.org/10.26153/TSW/56532
Pendergast, D., Allen, J., McGregor, G., & Ronksley-Pavia, M. (2018). Engaging Marginalized, “At-Risk” Middle-Level Students: A Focus on the Importance of a Sense of Belonging at School. Education Sciences 2018, Vol. 8, Page 138, 8(3), 138. https://doi.org/10.3390/EDUCSCI8030138
Pico, D. L., Prahl, A. H., Biel, C. H., Peterson, A. K., Biel, E. J., Woods, C., & Contesse, V. A. (2021). Interventions Designed to Improve Narrative Language in School-Age Children: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 52(4), 1109–1126. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-20-00160
Prosser, M., & Sze, D. (2014). Problem-based learning: Student learning experiences and outcomes. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 28(1–2), 131–142. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699206.2013.820351
Shonfeld, M., Cotnam-Kappel, M., Judge, M., Ng, C. Y., Ntebutse, J. G., Williamson-Leadley, S., & Yildiz, M. N. (2021). Learning in digital environments: a model for cross-cultural alignment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(4), 2151–2170. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11423-021-09967-6/METRICS
Stein, K. C., Mauldin, C., Marciano, J. E., & Kintz, T. (2024). Culturally responsive-sustaining education and student engagement: a call to integrate two fields for educational change. Journal of Educational Change, 26(1), 29–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10833-024-09510-3/METRICS
Van Lange, P. A. M., Higgins, E. T., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2011). Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology. Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology, 1–568. https://proxy1.library.jhu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/books/handbook-theories-social-psychology/docview/2134909882/se-2?accountid=11752
Wagner, K. (2025). Teacher Agency in Action: Advancing Culturally Responsive Teaching Through Collaboration and Community.
Wagner, M. L. (2024). Deconstructing Identity: Empowering Student Diversity Through Critical Literacy for Enhanced Transitions. Teaching Exceptional Children. https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599241239318/ASSET/6A22AB95-41AC-4AE0-902D-0EF28258CD53/ASSETS/00400599241239318.FP.PNG
Wilhelm, S., Förster, R., & Zimmermann, A. B. (2019). Implementing Competence Orientation: Towards Constructively Aligned Education for Sustainable Development in University-Level Teaching-And-Learning. Sustainability 2019, Vol. 11, Page 1891, 11(7), 1891. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU11071891
Zaidi, R., & El Chaar, D. (2022). Identity texts: an intervention to internationalise the classroom. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 17(3), 167–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2020.1860060
Published
2025-09-30
How to Cite
Sudarsi, E. T., Dan Mangoki’, Sri Wahyuni, Markus Deli Girik Allo, & Tenri Ugi Irianto. (2025). Integrating Local Culture-Based Learning Media in Multilingual Classrooms: An Analytical Study of Implementation and Educational Impact. Eduvelop: Journal of English Education and Development , 9(1), 61-78. https://doi.org/10.31605/eduvelop.v9i1.5228
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