Persistent structural issues in history education including androcentric narratives and the limited use of transformative digital pedagogy continue to limit students’ ability to engage critically with the past. This study developed and empirically tested a gender-inclusive digital learning material centered on Gayatri Rajapatni, an influential yet underrepresented figure of the Majapahit era. The material underwent expert validation before classroom implementation to ensure accuracy and pedagogical feasibility. The intervention was evaluated using a quantitative one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design involving 30 eleventh-grade students from a public senior high school in Batu City, Malang. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, paired sample t-test, N-Gain, and Cohen’s d. The data met the normality assumption (p > 0.05). Results showed a significant improvement in historical literacy (t(29) = -7.21, p < 0.001). The average N-Gain of 0.42 indicated moderate improvement, while the large effect size (d = 1.80) demonstrated substantial practical impact. These findings show that integrating marginalized female historical agents into digital learning environments enhances disciplinary literacy and broadens epistemic inclusivity in school history. The study provides a replicable, theoretically grounded model for advancing equitable and gender-responsive digital history education.
Debi Setiawati1, Sariyatun2, Hieronymus Purwanta3 (Mon,) studied this question.