<![CDATA[Rapid environmental degradation and the growing complexity of socioscientific problems demand science education that connects scientific literacy with ethical, cultural, and local contexts. However, classroom practices often remain content-centered, lacking contextual materials that link science concepts with students’ lived experiences. This gap limits students’ ability to reason uucritically and make informed decisions on real-world issues. To address this challenge, this study evaluates the practicality of a Socioscientific Issues (SSI)-based biology learning package integrated with the Sasirangan Verse digital application—a platform designed to embed local cultural wisdom from South Kalimantan into science learning. A quantitative design was employed, involving 30 high school biology teachers who assessed practicality using a four-point Likert scale across four dimensions: relevance, effectiveness, engagement, and curriculum alignment. Complementary data were collected from 231 students whose cognitive achievements (C2–C6) were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA. Results showed that all items scored above 3.0, with an overall mean of 3.53 (PSM = 88.25%), categorized as highly practical. The effectiveness dimension obtained the highest mean, followed by engagement, relevance, and standard alignment. The instrument exhibited strong reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.886). A one-sample t-test against the benchmark value of 3.0 was significant (p < 0.001), and the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group (F(1,229) = 17.184, p < 0.001, η² = 0.07), indicating a medium effect size on students’ cognitive outcomes. These findings suggest that the SSI-based learning device integrated with Sasirangan Verse is both practical for teachers and effective in enhancing students’ cognitive performance when implemented as a continuous, contextually grounded learning sequence. The study underscores the importance of supporting implementation through curriculum alignment, Bloom-based rubrics, and short professional development programs to foster wider adoption in secondary biology education.]]>
