Local Wisdom for Enhancing Contextual Education: A Literature Review on Values and Practices

Abstract

Local wisdom is an integral part of community life that contains cultural values and practices with strong potential to support contextual learning. This study aims to analyze the values and practices embedded in local wisdom and their implications for contextual learning through a literature review approach. The study employed a systematic review of 35 relevant articles from various cultural and national contexts. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns of values, practices, and their relationships with learning processes. The findings reveal that local wisdom encompasses social, ecological, and cultural identity values. These values are reflected in the strengthening of community solidarity, traditional ecological knowledge for environmental management, and efforts to preserve cultural identity amid globalization. In terms of practices, local wisdom is manifested in cultural rituals and festivals, livelihood systems based on traditional knowledge such as agriculture and medicinal practices, and cultural transformations in modern forms such as creative products and cultural commodification. These findings indicate that local wisdom is dynamic and adaptive across changing social contexts. Furthermore, local wisdom serves as a contextual learning resource that connects real-life experiences with academic concepts and contributes to strengthening students’ character development. Thus, local wisdom functions not only as cultural heritage but also as a relevant pedagogical resource for meaningful contextual learning.