Incorporating Indigenous knowledge into character education in English language classrooms: a critical spiritual pedagogy perspective

Indigenous knowledge can be a source of local wisdom and character education in the English language teaching (ELT) context. However, ELT-based character education rooted in Indigenous knowledge is still not adequately addressed, especially in multicultural and multilingual contexts beyond single religiously affiliated institutions in Indonesia. Employing a multi-site case study design, the authors investigated whether and how the seven focal English language teachers in two regencies in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, incorporated Indigenous knowledge, as part of character education, into their English language classrooms. Drawing on critical spiritual pedagogy (CSP) as the theoretical framework, the authors found the following. First, decolonisation of ELT was at full force when the teachers foregrounded local resources (particularly stories, events and sites) instead of depending on ELT materials based outside West Kalimantan. Second, from a poststructuralist perspective, conflicts or undesirable local practices (e.g., impoliteness) can be deconstructed discursively and inclusive practices can be actualised in classroom discourse. Third, using Indigenous knowledge, some teachers increased their students’ awareness of local wealth (e.g., tourist attractions) to nurture self-reliance and creativity (e.g., marketing local foods and souvenirs) and criticality (e.g., identifying an irony in an area rich in natural resources).