Integrating Culturally Responsive Teaching and TPACK Frameworks in the Design and Validation of Indonesian Language Learning Tools for Multicultural Schools

Abstract

Although there is a rise in cultural diversity and the use of technology in education, numerous Indonesian educators struggle to successfully integrate cultural values and digital teaching approaches into language learning. Therefore, this study aims to design and validate Indonesian language teaching tools based on the Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) approach, integrated with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, for use in multicultural high schools. This study followed a simplified Borg and Gall model, focusing on three main phases: needs analysis, prototype development, and expert validation. The method focused on designing, improving, and evaluating educational tools that are culturally appropriate and integrate technology for learning the Indonesian language. Data were collected from Grade X teachers and students in ten multicultural schools in Asahan Regency, Indonesia. Results indicated a very high level of agreement among experts as measured using a Gregory Index score of 0.89; this represents a robust content validity of the educational resource materials. Thus, these materials have educational and culturally relevant validity and can be used in multicultural school settings. Testing the effectiveness of the teaching resources used with 60 students (30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group) resulted in significantly improved learning outcomes for the experimental group (experimental mean posttest = 41.20) when compared to the control group (control mean posttest = 19.80). A Mann-Whitney U Test p-value of 0.000 also supported the results, indicating that incorporating culturally responsive education and technology-enhanced pedagogy increased students' engagement and understanding of Indonesian language learning. These results provide validation of the effectiveness of the developed teaching materials and demonstrate how applying the CRT and TPACK models can merge cultural relevance and technical pedagogy to support contextualized learning and inclusive learning practices. Local cultural stories are incorporated into the tool to enable students to express their identities while enhancing the TPACK model by including CRT principles. This study demonstrates a successful combination of culturally responsive education and technology-enhanced pedagogy—applications that have previously been underrepresented in research. This research has developed a design model that has been empirically tested and validated to combine the CRT and TPACK models to enhance the theoretical basis for culturally sustainable learning and establish a base for future research that explores inclusive and context-based language education in various educational settings.