Exploring learners’ experiences of culturally relevant learning through a traditional game

Integrating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) learning activities and culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is promising to make STEAM activities more meaningful and closer to students. Addressing this imperative, we developed a learning activity that adopted the cultural heritage of Madura tribes in Indonesia by facilitating students’ exploration of a traditional game called Pesapean. Elementary students aged 11 to 12 years from Madura, Indonesia, participated in this study. Data were collected through classroom observations and students’ reflective writing. The study employed a qualitative approach which utilised inductive thematic data analysis to develop themes based on students’ responses. In the main research activities, we organized the main activities into five stages: briefing, contextualization, exploration, action, and culminating in reflection. We found that the learning activities designed in this study might empower elementary students’ learning experiences, especially the way in which students express cultural appreciation. This initiative offers compelling evidence related to the integration of CRP in STEAM learning. Future studies need to consider more comprehensive implementation with students in a wider variety of cultural contexts.