<![CDATA[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.]]>
