HAMKA INSIGHT
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026)

Elementary teachers’ practices and challenges in integrating nusantara culture into multicultural learning

Disson Muhammad Fauzi (Program Studi Administrasi Publik, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta Selatan, 12520, Indonesia)
Nirwan Mulyatno (Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis, universitas prof. DR . Moestopo Beragama, Jakarta Selatan, 12520, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
24 Jun 2026

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates how elementary teachers integrate Nusantara culture into multicultural learning, examining interdisciplinary practices, structural challenges, and pedagogical anxiety in Indonesian primary classrooms. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative multi-case study examined 15 purposively sampled teachers across six elementary schools in Yogyakarta and West Java, Indonesia. Over four months, data were gathered via semi-structured interviews, 60-minute observations, and document analysis of lesson plans (Modul Ajar). Analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic approach, verified via triangulation and member-checking. Findings: Teachers operationalized Nusantara culture through artifact-based instruction and service-learning (gotong royong),Logically enhancing spatial reasoning, identity salience, and practical wisdom (phronesis). However, integration was constrained by curriculum pressures, static textbooks, and anxiety over cultural misrepresentation and religious sensitivities, causing topic avoidance or superficial compliance. Practical implications: Findings inform teacher education reforms by offering strategies to embed ethnomathematics and culturally sustaining pedagogy, mitigating teacher anxiety while reconciling standardized requirements with local cultural integration. Originality/value: This study shifts multicultural discourse from Western racial binaries to a Global South pluralistic context, demonstrating how indigenous Nusantara heritage enriches core subjects like primary mathematics.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

hamka

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Other

Description

HAMKA Insight E-ISSN: 2962-8334, ISSN: 2985-8445, DOI Prefix 10.22236/HAMKA Insight is a peer-reviewed open-access international journal that aims to the sharing, dissemination, and discussion of current trends research results, experience, and perspectives across a wide range of education, ...