<![CDATA[The challenges faced by English Education students in comprehending academic texts highlight a gap between the reading skills expected in higher education and students' actual literacy competencies. To address this issue, this study aimed to develop and evaluate English reading materials that integrate local wisdom and socio-cultural contexts from Indonesia and Southeast Asia to support students' reading literacy development. The study employed a Research and Development (RD) approach adapted from the Graves model, covering needs analysis, material design, expert validation, and effectiveness testing. Data were gathered through questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, expert validation sheets, and reading comprehension tests. Participants included 22 students in a limited trial and 46 third-semester students in the main field test at the University of Muhammadiyah North Sumatra. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The developed materials received a high validation score. The statistical analysis also indicated a significant relationship between using the materials and students' reading comprehension performance. In addition, incorporating local wisdom and socio-cultural themes gave students opportunities to connect English texts to familiar cultural experiences, potentially supporting their cultural awareness and engagement in learning. These findings suggest that culturally responsive reading materials offer a promising approach to contextualized English instruction in higher education. The study contributes a practical model for developing reading materials that connect language learning with local and regional cultural contexts, with potential relevance for English language education across Southeast Asia.]]>
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