Integrating Local Cultural Values into Early Childhood Education to Promote Character Building

This paper describes the process of integrating local cultural values into Early Childhood Education (ECE), focusing on character development. Employing the systematic literature review (SLR) method following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, this case study was conducted in several steps: article identification, screening, eligibility, inclusion, and analysis presentation using tools such as Publish or Perish version 7 and VOSviewer. The initial selection resulted in 235 articles, which were meticulously screened down to 30 selected papers. The research findings highlight that incorporating local cultural values into ECE significantly enhances character development. These values, deeply rooted in local culture, also bear relevance to universal aspects of character building, such as cooperation, tolerance, and social responsibility. The use of learning methods, with emphasis on direct experience and active participation of children in local cultural activities, manifests a significant positive impact. This research offers valuable insights into the enduring effects that integrating local cultural values has on children’s character development. Future studies would benefit from adopting an interdisciplinary approach, fostering collaboration among experts in education, developmental psychology, and cultural anthropology. Additionally, exploring the integration of educational technology could optimize children’s learning experiences within local cultural contexts.