Students' Perceptions and Appreciation of English Reading Materials Based on Local Wisdom: A Study of Tenth Grade Students at Al-Islam Islamic Boarding School in Tabalong: Penelitian

Adam Samsudin Noor

doi:10.31004/jerkin.v4i2.4050

Authors

Adam Samsudin Noor Universitas Sapta Mandiri

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31004/jerkin.v4i2.4050

Keywords:

Students’ perception, cultural appreciation, local wisdom, Islamic boarding school, English reading materials

Abstract

Most English teaching materials used in Islamic boarding schools still rely on Western-oriented texts that are culturally distant from students’ social and religious contexts. As a result, students often struggle to comprehend reading passages and show low reading motivation. Empirical research exploring students’ perceptions and cultural appreciation toward local wisdom-based English reading materials in Islamic boarding schools remains very limited, especially in the context of South Kalimantan. This study aims to describe students’ perceptions and levels of cultural appreciation toward English reading materials integrated with local wisdom values at Al-Islam Islamic Boarding School, Tabalong. The research employed a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collected through perception questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and documentation. The participants consisted of 30 tenth-grade students and 3 English teachers. The findings revealed that 85% of the students expressed positive perceptions toward English reading materials that contained elements of local wisdom, such as folktales, regional traditions, and Islamic moral values. Students perceived these texts as easier to understand, more relevant to their daily life, and more engaging. Furthermore, students’ cultural appreciation was enhanced, as the readings helped them strengthen both their Islamic and Indonesian cultural identity. The novelty of this study lies in its discovery that local wisdom-based reading materials not only improve linguistic comprehension but also foster cultural awareness and religious character formation among students. This highlights the potential of culturally responsive pedagogy in English language teaching within Islamic educational institutions. The findings imply the importance of developing contextual English teaching materials rooted in local culture and providing teacher training to effectively integrate local values into language learning.

References

Abidinsyah, A., Ramdiah, S., & Royani, M. (n.d.). AbdulWahab Mahmoud, E.(2021). The effect of e-Learning practices during the Covid-19 pandemic on enhancing self-regulated learning skills as perceived by university students. Revista Amazonia Investiga, 10 (39), 129–135. https://doi. org/10.34069/AI/2021. Educational Research, 8(5), 1863–1873.

Ali, A., Kristiawan, M., & Fitriani, Y. (2021). Implementasi Pendidikan Karakter Berbasis Budaya Sekolah. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 5(1), 2063–2069.

Alwasilah, A. C. (2022). Pokoknya rekayasa literasi. Kiblat Buku Utama.

Azra, A. (2014). Reforms in Islamic Education. In Reforms in Islamic Education (pp. 59–76). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472593252.ch-003

Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of language learning and teaching (Vol. 1). Prentice Hall.

Carrell, P. L., & Eisterhold, J. C. (1983). Schema theory and ESL reading pedagogy. TESOL Quarterly, 17(4), 553–573.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.

Dhofier, Z. (1982). Tradisi pesantren: Studi tentang pandangan hidup kyai. (No Title).

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed (trans. MB Ramos). New York: Continuum, 2005.

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. teachers college press.

Gee, J. P. (2000). Chapter 3: Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. Review of Research in Education, 25(1), 99–125.

Haqiqiyah, M. (2025). Bahasa Inggris di Pesantren Salaf; Antara Tren, Tuntutan Dan Birokrasi. Journal of Education and Contemporary Linguistics, 2(01), 60–67.

Johnson, E. B. (2002). Contextual teaching and learning: What it is and why it’s here to stay. Corwin Press.

Kramsch, C. (2013). Culture in foreign language teaching. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 1(1), 57–78.

Luke, A. (2018). Critical literacy in Australia: A matter of context and standpoint. In Critical literacy, schooling, and social justice (pp. 168–188). Routledge.

Miles & Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis. Translation by Tjetjep Rohindi Rohidi, UI-Press, A Methods Sourcebook,.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. 3rd. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Muid, A., Arifin, B., & Karim, A. (2024). Peluang dan Tantangan Pendidikan Pesantren di Era Digital (Studi Kasus di Pondok Pesantren Al-Islah Bungah Gresik). MODELING: Jurnal Program Studi PGMI, 11(1), 512–530.

Nugraha, L., Sa’ud, U. S., Hartati, T., Damaianti, V. S., & Puspita, R. D. (2022). Improving Indonesian Elementary School Students’ Writing Skill on Narrative Text using" GOGREEN" Learning Model. Special Education, 1(43).

Rachmawati, N., Marini, A., Nafiah, M., & Nurasiah, I. (2022). Projek Penguatan Profil Pelajar Pancasila dalam Impelementasi Kurikulum Prototipe di Sekolah Penggerak Jenjang Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Basicedu, 6(3), 3613–3625.

Risqi, S., Azizah, I., & Silfianah, I. (2021). Assessing Students’ Chemical Understanding on Classification of Matters. https://doi.org/10.17977/um026v6i12021p019

Rumelhart, D. E. (2022). Toward an interactive model of reading. In Attention and performance VI (pp. 573–603). Routledge.

Setemen, K., Widiana, I. W., & Antara, I. G. W. S. (2023). Multicultural learning based on blended learning in social studies and the impact on nationalism attitude viewed from students’ cultural literacy level. Nurture, 17(3), 314–324.

Setiawan, I. (2021). Pengajaran Bahasa Inggris Dalam Kurikulum 2013: Suatu Tinjauan Dan Perspektif. JIPKIS: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dan Keislaman, 1(2), 104–112.

Steffensen, M. S., Joag-Dev, C., & Anderson, R. C. (1979). A cross-cultural perspective on reading comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 10–29.

Subhan, R. (2024). BAHASA ASING SEBAGAI PERANTARA EKONOMI GLOBAL. Jurnal Intelek Insan Cendikia, 1(10).

Sumarni, S., Purnomo, M. E., Andika, W. D., Siregar, R. R., Linggawaty, P., Dini, R. R., Noviana, P. S., & Carisa, A. (2024). Exploring of Literature Review on Early Reading and Writing. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Learning Innovation and Quality Education (ICLIQE 2023), 873, 234.

Wijayati, W., Mamonto, M. F., & Mokodenseho, S. (2025). INTEGRASI NILAI-NILAI ISLAM DALAM PEMBELAJARAN BAHASA INGGRIS UNTUK PENGUATAN PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER. Journal of Educational and Religious Perspectives, 1(2), 72–79.