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Riau Malay culture-based literacy education in elementary schools: a mixed-methods structural equation modeling study of literacy habits, character values, cultural interest, and learning needs

Using a mixed-methods structural equation modeling approach, this study reveals that literacy habits, character value understanding, learning needs, and local cultural interest significantly shape elementary students' readiness for Riau Malay culture-based literacy education, with reading habits identified as the strongest predictor and folklore serving as an effective pedagogical bridge for moral and cultural development.

Original authors: Otang Kurniaman, Radini Radini, Fadhila Rahman, Zakiah Ulya, Beny Al Fajar, Eddy Noviana, Zufriady Zufriady

Published 2026-07-24

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CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Otang Kurniaman, Radini Radini, Fadhila Rahman, Zakiah Ulya, Beny Al Fajar, Eddy Noviana, Zufriady Zufriady

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

Imagine the classroom not just as a room with desks and whiteboards, but as a giant, bustling library where every book is a key to a different world. For a long time, educators have known that reading isn't just about sounding out words; it's about connecting those words to your own life, your family's stories, and the culture you grew up in. Think of "literacy habits" as the muscle you build by reading often, and "character values" as the moral compass you develop by seeing how heroes and villains make choices in stories. When schools mix these two things—reading practice and moral lessons—with the local culture, it's like giving students a map that shows them exactly where they stand in the world, making the journey of learning feel less like a chore and more like an adventure. But here's the big question: does simply liking your local culture make you ready to learn from it, or do you need something else first?

A team of researchers in Riau, Indonesia, decided to dig into this mystery by looking at elementary school students. They wanted to see what actually gets a child ready to dive into literacy education based on their own Riau Malay culture. They didn't just ask students what they thought; they used a special mathematical tool called Structural Equation Modeling (a bit like a super-advanced GPS that tracks how different roads connect) to measure four specific things: how much kids read for fun (literacy habits), how well they understand moral lessons (character values), how interested they are in their local culture, and what they feel they need to learn better. They surveyed 67 students and then sat down to chat with them to hear their stories in their own words.

The results were like finding the secret ingredient in a recipe. The study suggests that the single strongest factor making a student ready for this kind of culture-based learning wasn't their interest in local stories or their knowledge of moral values, but rather their literacy habits. It turns out that students who already had a routine of reading and enjoying stories were the most ready to engage with Riau Malay cultural narratives. Their "reading muscle" was already strong, so adding the local flavor was easy. The study found that literacy habits had the biggest impact, with a statistical score of beta = .45 (a measure of strength where higher is stronger), followed by understanding character values (beta = .32), learning needs (beta = .31), and finally, interest in local culture (beta = .28).

When the researchers asked the students what they liked, the kids didn't just say "I like culture." They said they loved folklore, legends, comics, and stories like Putri Tujuh and Malin Kundang. They saw these stories as mirrors reflecting honesty, responsibility, and bravery. However, the study also suggests a slight hiccup: while the kids were curious about their local culture, they often didn't see it enough in their daily reading lessons. It's like having a favorite flavor of ice cream that the shop only sells once a month; you love it, but you can't get used to eating it every day. The data suggests that curiosity alone isn't enough to drive the learning; you need the habit of reading first to really take off.

So, what does this mean for the future? The paper suggests that if teachers want to use local Riau Malay stories to teach reading and character, they shouldn't just sprinkle them in as a special treat. Instead, they need to build a routine where these stories are the main course. The study indicates that when students are already in the habit of reading, they are much more likely to embrace these local narratives and the moral lessons inside them. It's a reminder that culture-based education works best when it rides on the wave of a student's existing love for reading, turning local legends into the very fuel that powers their literacy engine.

Technical Summary: Riau Malay Culture-Based Literacy Education in Elementary Schools

Problem Statement
The study addresses a disconnect in Indonesian elementary education where students possess reading enjoyment and recognize moral lessons in stories, yet classroom literacy activities frequently fail to integrate local cultural narratives. While literacy is increasingly viewed as a social practice involving cultural knowledge and identity formation, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding how specific student factors—literacy habits, character-value understanding, cultural interest, and learning needs—interact to shape readiness for culture-based literacy education. Specifically, the field lacks structural models identifying which of these factors most strongly predict a student's readiness to engage with Riau Malay culture-based literacy.

Methodology
The research employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design involving 67 elementary school students from two regencies and two municipalities in Riau Province, Indonesia.

Quantitative Phase: A cross-sectional survey using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire was administered. The instrument measured four exogenous latent variables: Literacy Habits (LH), Understanding of Character Values (UCV), Interest in Local Culture (ILC), and Learning Needs (LN). The endogenous variable was Readiness for Riau Malay Culture-Based Literacy Education (RMCBLE). Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test four hypotheses regarding the influence of the exogenous variables on RMCBLE.
Qualitative Phase: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected students to explore reading preferences, cultural knowledge, and interpretations of character values. This phase aimed to explain the statistical relationships identified in the quantitative analysis.
Analysis: The measurement model was assessed for reliability (Composite Reliability > 0.70) and validity (Average Variance Extracted > 0.50). Model fit was evaluated using chi-square/df, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR. Thematic analysis was applied to interview data to identify patterns in student perspectives.

Key Results
The structural model demonstrated an excellent fit to the data (chi-square/df = 1.04, CFI = 0.983, TLI = 0.975, RMSEA = 0.021, SRMR = 0.034). All four hypotheses were supported, revealing the following structural path coefficients:

Literacy Habits (LH): Had the strongest positive effect on readiness ( $\beta = .45, p < .001$ ). Students with established reading routines were significantly more ready for culture-based literacy.
Understanding of Character Values (UCV): Showed a significant positive effect ( $\beta = .32, p < .01$ ). Students who could identify moral lessons in stories were more receptive to the pedagogy.
Learning Needs (LN): Contributed positively ( $\beta = .31, p < .01$ ), indicating that students' perceived need for contextual and story-based materials drives readiness.
Interest in Local Culture (ILC): Had a positive but comparatively smaller effect ( $\beta = .28, p < .05$ ).

Qualitative Findings
Interview data clarified these statistical patterns:

Reading Motivation: Students associated reading with knowledge acquisition and school confidence, explaining the strong impact of literacy habits.
Text Preferences: Students favored folklore, legends, comics, and historical stories. Specific narratives like Putri Tujuh and Malin Kundang were cited as engaging due to clear conflicts and moral consequences.
Character Interpretation: Values such as honesty, responsibility, and respect were understood through narrative events rather than abstract definitions.
Exposure Gap: Despite high interest, students reported limited exposure to Riau Malay cultural materials in routine classroom literacy activities, explaining why cultural interest alone was a weaker predictor than established reading habits.

Key Contributions
The paper makes three primary contributions to the field:

Contextual Evidence: It provides empirical data from a Southeast Asian elementary setting, complementing literature often dominated by North American and European multicultural research.
Structural Integration: It is among the first to empirically link literacy habits, character-value understanding, cultural interest, and learning needs within a single structural model to predict readiness for culture-based literacy, moving beyond descriptive curriculum development studies.
Pedagogical Framing: It frames local culture-based literacy not merely as the addition of local terms, but as a pedagogical orientation where local narratives serve as the primary medium for reading engagement, moral formation, and identity learning.

Significance and Claims
The authors claim that the study demonstrates that literacy habits are the central pathway to readiness for culture-based literacy education. The findings suggest that while students are interested in local culture and understand moral values, these factors are insufficient without the foundation of regular reading engagement.

The paper argues that Riau Malay cultural narratives (folklore, pantun, proverbs) should function as "pedagogical bridges" rather than decorative additions. When integrated into routine reading, discussion, and writing, these narratives can simultaneously strengthen reading engagement, character development, and local cultural identity. The study concludes that for such education to be effective, local culture must be systematically embedded in literacy instruction rather than treated as supplementary content, requiring teachers to map cultural resources to specific reading objectives (e.g., inference, sequencing, value reflection).

Limitations Noted
The authors acknowledge the modest sample size (N=67), which limits broad generalization, and the cross-sectional nature of the data, which precludes causal claims. They also note that self-report data may be subject to social desirability bias and that future research should include classroom observations and longitudinal designs to assess the long-term impact of implemented culture-based programs.

Technical Summary: Riau Malay Culture-Based Literacy Education in Elementary Schools

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