How Science Teachers Translate Indigenous Knowledge into Classroom Science: A Qualitative Study in Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract

This study investigated how science teachers in Lombok, Indonesia, translate Indigenous knowledge from community contexts into classroom science. A qualitative multiple-case design involved 15 science teachers from West, Central, and East Lombok. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, 26 instructional documents, classroom observations of seven selected teachers, and researcher field memos. Iterative coding, within-case analysis, cross-case comparison, and triangulation were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed six interconnected translation processes: accessing, selecting, interpreting, negotiating, transforming, and representing Indigenous knowledge. Three epistemic positions emerged: contextual bridging, epistemic restraint, and scientific privileging. Pedagogical translation varied from deep to limited or illustrative forms, with one discrepant case. Importantly, epistemic positioning and pedagogical depth were related but distinct dimensions of teacher practice. Classroom enactment generally progressed from familiar local experiences to inquiry or analysis, scientific interpretation, and epistemic comparison. These findings conceptualize Indigenous knowledge integration as a recursive, teacher-mediated translation process and provide an empirical framework for examining culturally responsive and epistemically attentive science teaching.