Negotiating Local Wisdom in Community-Based Classroom Practices: Voices from Teachers and Students
Keywords:
local wisdom, community-based education, culturally responsive teaching, student voice, classroom interactionAbstract
This study explores how local wisdom is negotiated and experienced within community-based classroom practices through the perspectives of teachers and students. Using a qualitative research design, the study involved 20 participants consisting of teachers and students who were actively engaged in learning environments where local cultural knowledge was informally integrated into instructional activities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and meanings. The findings reveal that local wisdom is not presented as a separate body of knowledge but is embedded within everyday teaching practices through examples, discussions, and shared experiences. Teachers play an important role in connecting formal curriculum content with students’ cultural contexts, often navigating the tension between institutional demands and the need for meaningful learning. At the same time, students actively contribute by bringing personal and community experiences into classroom interactions, creating a collaborative process of knowledge construction. The integration of culturally grounded elements also supports students’ sense of identity, confidence, and belonging within the learning environment. Overall, the study highlights that the presence of local wisdom in classroom practice is shaped by ongoing negotiation and interaction rather than formal inclusion. These findings underscore the importance of culturally responsive teaching in creating learning spaces that are socially relevant, participatory, and contextually meaningful.
Downloads
References
Alim, H. S. (2023). Culture, language, and identity in the classroom: Toward culturally sustaining pedagogies. Harvard Educational Review, 93(2), 205–228. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-93.2.205
Allen, K. A., Kern, M. L., Rozek, C. S., McInerney, D. M., & Slavich, G. M. (2021). Belonging: A review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research. Educational Psychology Review, 33(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09510-0
Biesta, G. (2020). Risking ourselves in education: Qualification, socialization, and subjectification revisited. Educational Theory, 70(1), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.12411
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brown, T., & Carter, S. (2024). Classroom meaning-making and culturally situated learning: Examining interactional dynamics in community-based education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 128, 104145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104145
Cook-Sather, A. (2020). Respecting voices: How the co-creation of teaching and learning can support students as partners. Teaching in Higher Education, 25(2), 150–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1636224
Fielding, M. (2020). Student voice as deep democracy: Towards a pedagogy of listening. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 52(5), 497–509. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2019.1598982
Gay, G. (2020). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780807758762
Giroux, H. A. (2021). On critical pedagogy (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350145016
Hammond, Z. (2020). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin Press. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781544383835
Johnson, L., & Morris, P. (2022). Negotiating culture in everyday teaching: Tensions and possibilities in culturally responsive classrooms. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 54(6), 789–805. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2021.1954123
Ladson-Billings, G. (2021). Culturally relevant pedagogy 2.0: Also known as the remix. Harvard Educational Review, 91(1), 1–21.https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-91.1.1
Lee, J. (2025). Cultural sustainability in education: Bridging local knowledge and global competencies. International Journal of Educational Development, 102, 102915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.102915
Li, H. (2025). Micro-level interactions and cultural knowledge construction in diverse learning environments. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 44, 100778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2024.100778
Mitra, D. L. (2022). Student voice in school reform: Building youth–adult partnerships that strengthen schools and empower youth (2nd ed.). SUNY Press. https://doi.org/10.1353/book.103189
Moll, L. C., Soto-Santiago, S., & Schwartz, L. (2020). Funds of knowledge in changing communities. Educational Researcher, 49(3), 172–183. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20908596
Murphy, M. C., Gopalan, M., Carter, E. R., Emerson, K. T. U., Bottoms, B. L., & Walton, G. M. (2022). A customized belonging intervention improves retention of socially disadvantaged students at a broad-access university. Science Advances, 6(29), eaba4677. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba4677
Nguyen, T. M. (2021). Contextualizing educational reform: Local knowledge and teacher agency in culturally diverse settings. International Journal of Educational Research, 109, 101842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101842
Nieto, S. (2022). Language, culture, and teaching: Critical perspectives for a new century (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429509230
OECD. (2020). Global competence for an inclusive world. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/df6b8f12-en
OECD. (2024). Education at a glance 2024: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en
Osterman, K. F. (2023). Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 93(2), 279–309. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221148317
Pantić, N. (2022). Teacher agency for equity: A framework for understanding teachers’ practices in diverse contexts. Teachers and Teaching, 28(2), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2021.1982691
Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (2022). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780807768198
Priestley, M., Biesta, G., & Robinson, S. (2021). Teacher agency: An ecological approach (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474299657
Ramirez, E. (2023). Student voice and participation in culturally grounded pedagogy: A qualitative perspective. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 31(4), 623–639.https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2022.2043217
Rudduck, J., & McIntyre, D. (2021). Improving learning through consulting pupils. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003155189
Sahlberg, P. (2021). Does the pandemic help us make education more equitable? Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 20(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-020-09284-4
Seale, J. (2023). Students as partners in higher education: Supporting belonging, participation, and transformation. Studies in Higher Education, 48(6), 935–948. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.2014235
Smith, K., & Riley, T. (2022). Community knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy in diverse classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 112, 103648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103648
UNESCO. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. UNESCO Publishing. https://doi.org/10.54675/ASRB4722
UNESCO. (2023). Transforming education for cultural sustainability. UNESCO Publishing. https://doi.org/10.54675/CLZV4157
Wenger-Trayner, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2020). Learning to make a difference: Value creation in social learning spaces. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108677431
World Bank. (2020). Realizing the future of learning: From learning poverty to learning for everyone, everywhere. World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1665-9
Zeichner, K. (2023). Rethinking the connections between campus courses and field experiences in college- and university-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 74(2), 119–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871211059035
