The Ethnic Minority Speech Codes on Education

Abstract

This study focuses on examining educational processes in Sikep community (a minority ethnic group in Indonesia). Education is an influencial aspect in forming social harmony in the minority groups. However, formal education cannot be applied properly in particular group of ethnic minorities due to local specific perspectives on education. Therefore, it is important to comprehend local values that are related to education in order to established social harmony in the minority ethnic group. The purpose of this study is to describe the Sikep community's construction of meaning on local and formal education discourses. The main theories in this research are the Speech Codes Theory and Ethnography Communication Theory. An ethnography communication research method was used in achieving the goal of this research. The research finding indicates that the low participation to formal education is due to the fact that Sikep community has a specific interpretation of the educational process that differs to the formal standard of national education. They perceive education as a part of everyday life. They focus on the educational processes that equip them the skills to survive, particularly in the context of agricultural skills. The knowledge of local philosophical values must also be considered in creating an applicable educational system for Sikep community.