Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) Approach to Improve Science Literacy on Carbohydrate Materials

Science literacy remains a persistent challenge in Indonesian chemistry education, particularly in Papua, where teaching materials rarely connect with students' local culture. This study aimed to analyze the improvement of students' science literacy after learning carbohydrate topics through a Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) approach contextualized in Papuan sago (Metroxylon sp.). The research employed a one-group pretest-posttest design involving 20 twelfth-grade students of SMA Negeri 2 Serui, selected through purposive sampling. Science literacy was measured using a 15-item multiple-choice test, validated through Pearson Product Moment correlation (r > 0.388) and Kuder-Richardson 20 reliability testing (r11 = 0.757). Data were analyzed using Normalized Gain (n-Gain) across three learning sessions. The results showed a consistent increase in science literacy scores, from an average pretest score of 26.3 to a posttest score of 76.3, with an overall n-Gain of 0.69 (moderate category), and the highest gain (0.82, high category) achieved in the session addressing sago innovation and future application. It is concluded that the CRT approach, contextualized through Papuan sago culture, is effective in improving students' science literacy on carbohydrate material, although a longer intervention period is recommended to reach a high-gain category.