INTEGRATING LOCAL WISDOM TO STRENGTHEN CULTURAL LITERACY IN SOCIAL STUDIES LEARNING

Abstract

Globalization and intensive exposure to digital culture may weaken elementary students’ familiarity with local cultural values. This study analyzes how the Sedekah Bumi tradition in Bendosari Village, Pujon, can be integrated into social studies learning to strengthen students’ cultural literacy. The study employed a qualitative literature review. Data were drawn from scholarly articles, books, and educational documents relevant to local wisdom, ethnopedagogy, cultural literacy, and elementary social studies. The sources were selected based on relevance and credibility and analyzed through data reduction, thematic categorization, comparison, and interpretive synthesis. The review identified four main findings. First, the values of Sayan, Gugur Gunung, Tepa Slira, and Unggah-Ungguh provide contextual examples for social interaction, norms, social roles, cooperation, and environmental responsibility. Second, role-playing the figures of Kamituwo, Modin, and village residents can make customary deliberation and community structure more concrete for elementary learners. Third, linking local traditions with classroom content supports students’ progression from recognizing cultural symbols to interpreting and valuing their social meanings. Fourth, successful integration requires accurate cultural representation, teacher mediation, reflective activities, and collaboration with community members. The study concludes that Sedekah Bumi has strong pedagogical potential as a contextual social studies learning resource; however, its effectiveness should be verified through classroom-based empirical research