Global citizen preparation: Enhancing early childhood education through Indonesian local wisdom

Abstract

In a globalized world, young people are expected to have critical thinking and communication abilities, such as collaboration and technological skills. Both skills are imperative to equip them to participate in an international environment. However, due to a lack of early childhood education, youths in Indonesia also have less innovativeness and competency. This study aims to discover an ethical culture that enhances early childhood education by using the concept of local wisdom. This research was conducted in one of the Indigenous communities in Indonesia which were the Sundanese Community in Cireundeu, West Java. The qualitative approach used the descriptive method and revealed the consciousness of the Indigenous people in Cireundeu to engage in traditional Sundanese cultural practices by preparing their children to become ethical human beings, as well as being productive and informed global citizens. The results show that the community has implemented decent early childhood education, which is designed to prepare youths who actively engage as global citizens. The implementation of this study can be applied not only to children in Cireundeu but also to children all over the world.