The Role of Cultural Literacy on Elementary School Students’ Attitudes of Tolerance: A Case in Indonesia
Keywords:
Cultural Literacy, Tolerance Attitude, Elementary School Students, Cultural Awareness, Character Education
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to analyze the impact of cultural literacy on the tolerance attitude of elementary students in Indonesia. Method: The method used is a quantitative approach with a correlational research design. The research sample consisted of 90 randomly selected students. Data were collected using questionnaires that measured cultural literacy and attitudes toward tolerance. Results: This study demonstrates a significant positive relationship between cultural literacy and tolerance attitudes among primary school students. As students’ cultural literacy levels increase, so does their tolerance toward cultural, social, and religious differences within the school environment. The correlation result (r = 0.564, p < 0.01) indicates that cultural literacy is pivotal in early adopting a tolerant character. Therefore, integrating cultural literacy into the primary school curriculum represents a relevant educational strategy for strengthening multicultural character education. Novelty: This study is the first study to empirically and quantitatively measure the role of cultural literacy in shaping the tolerance attitude of Indonesian elementary school students by using instruments tested for their validity and reliability, non-parametric correlation analysis, and scatter plot visualisation that confirms the contribution of cultural literacy to 56.4% tolerance variability. Thus, this study closes the empirical study gap at the elementary level while offering contextual and measurable curricular recommendations for integrating cultural literacy in multicultural character education.
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References
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Rapanta, C., & Trovão, S. (2020). Shall we receive more refugees or not? A comparative analysis and assessment of Portuguese adolescents’ arguments, views, and concerns. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 28(4), 581–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.1676298
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. https://doi.org/10.55951/nurture.v17i3.337
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Syahbudin, Z., Raja Ahmad, R. R. M., Kasmiati, K., Zein, N., & Thahir, M. (2023). Developing Students’ Religious Moderation through Group Counseling at Islamic Higher Education. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v0i0.22977
Taber, K. S. (2018). The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273–1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
Thornicroft, G., Sunkel, C., Aliev, A. A., Baker, S., Brohan, E., Chammay, R. el, Davies, K., Demissie, M., Duncan, J., Fekadu, W., Gronholm, P. C., Guerrero, Z., Gurung, D., Habtamu, K., Hanlon, C., Heim, E., Henderson, C., Hijazi, Z., Hoffman, C., … Winkler, P. (2022). The Lancet Commission on ending stigma and discrimination in mental health. The Lancet, 400(10361), 1438–1480. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01470-2
Utami, P. T. (2022). Raising religious inherency: The role of interreligious competence in achieving religious education equality in multireligious public schools in Indonesia. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 271. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01298-y
Weis, M., Trommsdorff, G., Muñoz, L., & González, R. (2023). Maternal Education and Children’s School Achievement: The Roles of Values, Parenting, and Behavior Regulation. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32(3), 691–703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02405-y
Abidin, Y., Mulyati, T., Yuniarti, Y., & Nurhuda, T. (2023). The Effects of Integrating Folklore and Mixed Reality toward Student’s Cultural Literacy. International Journal of Society, Culture and Language, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.22034/ijscl.2023.1995761.2963
Aderibigbe, S. A., Idriz, M., Alzouebi, K., AlOthman, H., Hamdi, W. B., & Companioni, A. A. (2023). Fostering Tolerance and Respect for Diversity through the Fundamentals of Islamic Education. Religions, 14(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020212
Ajayi, E. J. (2025). Conceptualizing Culturally Responsive Science Teaching within a Values-driven Curriculum Perspective: Utilizing Ubuntu and Eziko as Indigenous Theoretical Frameworks. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 8(1), 166–187. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcve.2025.10
Altıok, B., & Conti, L. (2024). Education at the frontier between tradition and innovation: Challenges of an international initiative in breaking through. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, 1393051. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1393051
Aningsih, ., Zulela, M., Neolaka, A., Iasha, V., & Setiawan, B. (2022). How is the Education Character Implemented? The Case Study in Indonesian Elementary School. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 12(1), 371. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2022-0029
Badrun, B., Warsah, I., Morganna, R., Carles, E., & Sendi, O. A. M. (2024). Multiculturalism of Indonesia’s Multireligious Communities: The Portrayal of Multicultural Competence and its Contributing Factors. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.17583/rimcis.14199
Cook, V., Maine, F., & Čermáková, A. (2022). Enacting cultural literacy as a dialogic social practice: The role of provisional language in classroom talk. London Review of Education, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.20.1.02
García Ochoa, G., & McDonald, S. (2019). Destabilisation and cultural literacy. Intercultural Education, 30(4), 351–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2018.1540112
Garcia-Mila, M., Miralda-Banda, A., Luna, J., Remesal, A., Castells, N., & Gilabert, S. (2021). Change in Classroom Dialogicity to Promote Cultural Literacy across Educational Levels. Sustainability, 13(11), 6410. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116410
Hume, J. A. (2024). Neutrality, Cultural Literacy, and Arts Funding. Ergo an Open Access Journal of Philosophy, 10(0). https://doi.org/10.3998/ergo.5192
Iasha, V., Japar, M., Maksum, A., Siregar, Y. E. Y., Setiawan, B., & Andayani, A. (2022). Increasing students’ culture literacy using virtual reality field trip model: Need analysis. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 17(9), 3263–3276. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i9.8002
Jiang, L., & and Altinyelken, H. K. (2022). Understanding Social Integration of Chinese Students in the Netherlands: The Role of Friendships. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 51(2), 191–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2021.1877178
Lipiäinen, T., Halafoff, A., Mansouri, F., & Bouma, G. (2020). Diverse worldviews education and social inclusion: A comparison between Finnish and Australian approaches to build intercultural and interreligious understanding. British Journal of Religious Education, 42(4), 391–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2020.1737918
Martin, A. E., & Fisher‐Ari, T. R. (2021). “If We Don’t Have Diversity, There’s No Future to See”: High‐school students’ perceptions of race and gender representation in STEM. Science Education, 105(6), 1076–1099. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21677
Maulana, A., Subyantoro, S., Yuniawan, T., & Pristiwati, R. (2024). Development of Electronic Media Assisted Language Learning Modules with Cultural Literacy. Ingénierie Des Systèmes d Information, 29(4), 1283–1295. https://doi.org/10.18280/isi.290404
Nurasiah, I., Sumantri, M. S., Nurhasanah, N., & Casmana, A. R. (2022). Cultural Values’ Integration in Character Development in Elementary Schools: The Sukuraga as Learning Media. Frontiers in Education, 7, 849218. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.849218
Rachmadtullah, R., Syofyan, H., & Rasmitadila, Dr. (2020). The Role of Civic Education Teachers in Implementing Multicultural Education in Elementary School Students. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(2), 540–546. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080225
Rapanta, C., & Trovão, S. (2020). Shall we receive more refugees or not? A comparative analysis and assessment of Portuguese adolescents’ arguments, views, and concerns. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 28(4), 581–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.1676298
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. https://doi.org/10.55951/nurture.v17i3.337
Shliakhovchuk, E. (2021). After cultural literacy: New models of intercultural competency for life and work in a VUCA world. Educational Review, 73(2), 229–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1566211
Suharsimi Arikunto. (2021). Dasar-dasar evaluasi pendidikan edisi 3 (Edisi Ke 3). Bumi aksara.
Syahbudin, Z., Raja Ahmad, R. R. M., Kasmiati, K., Zein, N., & Thahir, M. (2023). Developing Students’ Religious Moderation through Group Counseling at Islamic Higher Education. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v0i0.22977
Taber, K. S. (2018). The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273–1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
Thornicroft, G., Sunkel, C., Aliev, A. A., Baker, S., Brohan, E., Chammay, R. el, Davies, K., Demissie, M., Duncan, J., Fekadu, W., Gronholm, P. C., Guerrero, Z., Gurung, D., Habtamu, K., Hanlon, C., Heim, E., Henderson, C., Hijazi, Z., Hoffman, C., … Winkler, P. (2022). The Lancet Commission on ending stigma and discrimination in mental health. The Lancet, 400(10361), 1438–1480. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01470-2
Utami, P. T. (2022). Raising religious inherency: The role of interreligious competence in achieving religious education equality in multireligious public schools in Indonesia. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 271. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01298-y
Weis, M., Trommsdorff, G., Muñoz, L., & González, R. (2023). Maternal Education and Children’s School Achievement: The Roles of Values, Parenting, and Behavior Regulation. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32(3), 691–703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02405-y
Published
2025-07-30
How to Cite
Takiddin, T., Slam, Z., & Waliyadin, W. (2025). The Role of Cultural Literacy on Elementary School Students’ Attitudes of Tolerance: A Case in Indonesia. IJORER : International Journal of Recent Educational Research, 6(4), 1068-1080. https://doi.org/10.46245/ijorer.v6i4.906
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Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Takiddin, Zaenul Slam (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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