Revitalizing Local Games as Culturally Responsive Learning Resources in Early Childhood Education: A Gioia Study of Kindergarten Teachers in Banten
Abstract
This study aimed to examine how kindergarten educators in Banten, Indonesia, reconstruct, adapt, and sustain local games as culturally responsive learning resources amid changing play patterns, digital media exposure, and the increasing use of standardized educational materials. An exploratory qualitative design informed by the Gioia methodology was conducted across five kindergartens involving 10 informants, comprising eight classroom teachers and two school principals. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis and were analyzed iteratively through first-order concepts, second-order themes, and aggregate dimensions, supported by triangulation across data sources. The findings identified three interrelated mechanisms of local-game revitalization. First, teachers reconstructed local games as culturally meaningful learning experiences connected to children’s familiar social environments. Second, they pedagogically adapted the games by simplifying rules, modifying materials, and aligning play activities with curricular objectives while retaining essential cultural values. Third, the sustainability of these practices depended on their integration into broader school-family-community relationships and on continuous adaptation to social and digital change. These findings indicate that revitalizing local games involves not merely cultural preservation but also pedagogical translation, contextual adaptation, and institutional embedding. The study extends play-based learning scholarship by highlighting teacher agency and cultural context as key mechanisms for sustaining local games in early childhood education. Its qualitative and geographically bounded design limits broader generalization; therefore, future studies should examine these mechanisms across more diverse cultural and institutional settings.
References
Adi, B. S., Irianto, D. P., & Sukarmin, Y. (2022). Teachers' perspectives on motor learning with traditional game approach among early children. Cakrawala Pendidikan, 41(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v41i1.36843
Aguinis, H., & Solarino, A. M. (2019). Transparency and replicability in qualitative research: The case of interviews with elite informants. Strategic Management Journal, 40(8), 1291–1315. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3015
Amir, I., Rohmadheny, P. S., Purnama, S., Rosada, U. D., & Maharani, E. A. (2024). Play-based learning in practice: An exploration of early childhood education teacher's experiences in Yogyakarta. Journal of Early Childhood Care and Education, 7(2), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.26555/jecce.v7i2.10948
Bennett, S. V., Gunn, A. A., van Beynen, K., & Morton, M. L. (2022). Religiously diverse multicultural literature for early childhood. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50(4), 663–673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01180-7
Boysen, M. S. W., Sorensen, M. C., Jensen, H., von Seelen, J., & Skovbjerg, H.-M. (2022). Playful learning designs in teacher education and early childhood teacher education: A scoping review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 120, 103884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103884
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238
Bubikova-Moan, J., Hjetland, H. N., & Wollscheid, S. (2019). ECE teachers' views on play-based learning: A systematic review. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 27(6), 776–800. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1678717
Chu, C., Paatsch, L., Kervin, L., & Edwards, S. (2024). Digital play in the early years: A systematic review. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 40, 100652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2024.100652
Eason, S. H., & Ramani, G. B. (2020). Parent-child math talk about fractions during formal learning and guided play activities. Child Development, 91(2), 546–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13199
Ermiyati, E., Rohmadheny, P. S., Rosada, U. D., & Hastuti, D. (2024). Early childhood education teachers' perspectives on play-based learning: A survey in Yogyakarta. Golden Age: Jurnal Ilmiah Tumbuh Kembang Anak Usia Dini, 9(2), 291–300. https://doi.org/10.14421/jga.2024.92-10
Fitri, F., Karta, I. W., & Nurhasanah, N. (2022). Pengaruh permainan tradisional bakiak dan engklek terhadap perkembangan sosial emosional anak. Jurnal Pembangunan Pendidikan: Fondasi dan Aplikasi, 10(1), 85–93. https://doi.org/10.21831/jppfa.v10i1.55255
Gioia, D. A. (2021). A systematic methodology for doing qualitative research. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 57(1), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886320982715
Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013). Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428112452151
Grieshaber, S., Krieg, S., McArdle, F., & Sumsion, J. (2021). Intentional teaching in early childhood education: A scoping review. Review of Education, 9(3), e3309. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3309
Guarrella, C., van Driel, J., & Cohrssen, C. (2023). Toward assessment for playful learning in early childhood: Influences on teachers' science assessment practices. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 60(3), 608–642. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21811
Hedges, H., & Cooper, M. (2018). Relational play-based pedagogy: Theorising a core practice in early childhood education. Teachers and Teaching, 24(4), 369–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1430564
Hennink, M., & Kaiser, B. N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292, 114523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523
Hesterman, S., & Targowska, A. (2020). The status-quo of play-based pedagogies in Western Australia: Reflections of early childhood education practitioners. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 45(1), 30–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939119885305
Hidayati, N. N. (2020). Indonesian traditional games: A way to implant character education on children and preserve Indonesian local wisdom. Istawa: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 5(1), 81–101. https://doi.org/10.24269/ijpi.v5i1.2475
Husain, R. I., & Walangadi, H. (2021). Permainan tradisional Gorontalo dalam menumbuhkan nilai-nilai karakter anak. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 5(2), 1352–1358. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v5i2.839
Iswinarti, I., & Suminar, D. R. (2019). Improving children's problem-solving skills through Javanese traditional games. Cakrawala Pendidikan, 38(3), 578–589. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v38i3.25331
Keung, C. P. C., & Cheung, A. C. K. (2019). Towards holistic supporting of play-based learning implementation in kindergartens: A mixed method study. Early Childhood Education Journal, 47(5), 627–640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00956-2
Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suarez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151
Lewis, R., Fleer, M., & Hammer, M. (2019). Intentional teaching: Can early-childhood educators create the conditions for children's conceptual development when following a child-centred programme? Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 44(1), 6–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939119841470
Lin, X., Liao, Y., Xue, M., & Colliver, Y. (2021). Most Chinese preschool teachers value guided play over free play: Latent profiles and associated predictors. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 780367. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780367
Lukmanulhakim, L. (2022). Permainan tradisional bagi anak usia dini di Kalimantan Barat. Jurnal Visi Ilmu Pendidikan, 14(1), 57–64. https://doi.org/10.26418/jvip.v14i1.52206
McInnes, K. (2019). Playful learning in the early years - through the eyes of children. Education 3-13, 47(7), 796–805. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2019.1622495
Mertala, P. (2019). Teachers' beliefs about technology integration in early childhood education: A meta-ethnographical synthesis of qualitative research. Computers in Human Behavior, 101, 334–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.08.003
Novitawati, N., Purwanti, R., Prastitasari, H., Vitriati, N., & Olfah, K. (2022). Traditional games as English learning media for early childhood. Jurnal Ilmiah Potensia, 7(2), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.33369/jip.7.2.184-193
Pesch, A., Ochoa, K. D., Fletcher, K. K., Bermudez, V. N., Todaro, R. D., Salazar, J., Gibbs, H. M., Ahn, J., Bustamante, A. S., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2022). Reinventing the public square and early educational settings through culturally informed, community co-design: Playful Learning Landscapes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 933320. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933320
Pramudyani, A. V. R. (2020). Traditional game of Ular Naga for early childhood development from teacher's perspective. Aulad: Journal on Early Childhood, 3(1), 8–13. https://doi.org/10.31004/aulad.v3i1.48
Pyle, A., Prioletta, J., & Poliszczuk, D. (2018). The play-literacy interface in full-day kindergarten classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46(1), 117–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0852-z
Ramadhani, P. R., & Fauziah, P. Y. (2020). Hubungan sebaya dan permainan tradisional pada keterampilan sosial dan emosional anak usia dini. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 4(2), 1011–1020. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v4i2.502
Shih, Y.-H. (2022). Designing culturally responsive education strategies to cultivate young children's cultural identities: A case study of the development of a preschool local culture curriculum. Children, 9(12), 1789. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121789
Skene, K., O'Farrelly, C. M., Byrne, E. M., Kirby, N., Stevens, E. C., & Ramchandani, P. G. (2022). Can guidance during play enhance children's learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Development, 93(4), 1162–1180. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13730
Srikandi, S., Suardana, I. M., & Sulthoni, S. (2020). Membentuk karakter anak usia dini melalui permainan tradisional. Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan, 5(12), 1854–1859. https://doi.org/10.17977/jptpp.v5i12.14364
Suherman, W. S., Dapan, D., Guntur, G., & Muktiani, N. R. (2019). Development of a traditional children game based instructional model to optimize kindergarteners' fundamental motor skill. Cakrawala Pendidikan, 38(2), 356–365. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v38i2.25289
Sulastri, N. M. (2020). Identifikasi pemanfaatan permainan tradisional Sasak bagi pendidikan anak usia dini di masa pandemi Covid-19. Jurnal Paedagogy, 7(3), 138–144. https://doi.org/10.33394/jp.v7i3.2649
Suri, D., & Chandra, D. (2021). Teacher's strategy for implementing multiculturalism education based on local cultural values and character building for early childhood education. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 8(4), 271–285. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/937
Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., & Young, T. (2018). Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: Systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18, 148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7
Veliz, L., Zhang, Z., & Ba Akhlagh, S. (2025). Early childhood educators' pedagogical knowledge for effective practice in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53, 2909–2919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01912-z
Walsh, G., & Fallon, J. (2021). 'What's all the fuss about play'? Expanding student teachers' beliefs and understandings of play as pedagogy in practice. Early Years, 41(4), 396–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2019.1581731
Yogman, M., Garner, A., Hutchinson, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2018). The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics, 142(3), e20182058. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2058
Yu, Y., Shafto, P., Bonawitz, E., Yang, S. C.-H., Golinkoff, R. M., Corriveau, K. H., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Xu, F. (2018). The theoretical and methodological opportunities afforded by guided play with young children. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1152. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01152
Copyright (c) 2026 Yolanda Pahrul, Yovani Sri Watipah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
1.png)
_(3).png){kind=small}
