Strategi Rabu Budaya dan Diskusi Kelompok Heterogen dalam Penanaman Nilai Multikultural di Sekolah Dasar

Abstract

Twenty-first-century education demands that students develop robust multicultural competencies to engage meaningfully with Indonesia’s cultural diversity. A strategic response involves integrating school culture–based initiatives with cooperative learning strategies at the elementary level. Preliminary observations suggest that efforts to cultivate multicultural values remain fragmented and lack systematic design. Empirical studies examining the combined use of school culture programs and cooperative learning in elementary schools are scarce. The “Rabu Budaya” or Culture Wednesday program and heterogeneous group discussions constitute complementary strategies promoting appreciation for diversity, tolerance, cooperation, mutual respect, justice, and equality through experiential learning. This study aimed to describe their implementation and analyze their complementary contribution to students’ multicultural development. Employing a descriptive qualitative design, data were gathered via participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis with purposively selected participants. Data trustworthiness was established through triangulation; analysis followed the Miles model. Findings reveal that “Rabu Budaya” effectively nurtured appreciation for diversity and tolerance, whereas heterogeneous discussions strengthened cooperation, mutual respect, justice, and equality. Although the strategies functioned synergistically, implementation remained contextual and unembedded in lesson plans. Elementary schools should systematically integrate cultural habituation programs and diversity-based cooperative learning into curricular planning and instructional materials to ensure consistent, measurable, and sustainable cultivation of multicultural values.