33
Views
48
Downloads
Open Access
Contextual Eco-Pedagogy through Arts Education in Early Childhood: A Case Study of the Lima Gunung Community
Main Article Content
Abstract
Early childhood art education is often framed through skill acquisition, classroom activity, or measurable creative outcomes, while its role in ecological and spiritual meaning-making remains less visible. This study examines the Lima Gunung Community in Magelang, Central Java, where children encounter art through communal rehearsals, ritual processions, gamelan sessions, symbolic objects, agricultural landscapes, and intergenerational guidance. Using a qualitative ethnographic case study design, the research was conducted across four embedded art studios through prolonged field engagement between 2022 and 2025. Data were generated through participant observation, semi-structured interviews with adult key informants, informal child conversations, and documentation of artistic, ritual, and visual materials. Interpretive thematic analysis was used to examine children’s forms of participation, ecological and spiritual meaning-making, and recurring pedagogical patterns across sites. The findings show that children’s arts learning developed through graduated participation rather than formal instruction. Children watched, imitated, carried symbolic objects, joined simple performances, listened to stories, began activities with prayer, and re-enacted ritual fragments in play. These acts did not demonstrate fixed ecological literacy or complete spiritual formation; they indicated emerging meaning-making shaped by community mediation, environmental immersion, symbolic participation, and spiritual orientation. The study contributes to early childhood ecopedagogy by showing that ecological and spiritual learning may be lived through community-based artistic practice, local ritual, and everyday relations with land and water, rather than only designed as school-based environmental curriculum. It also positions local cultural communities as sources of pedagogical knowledge for rethinking arts-based, place-based, and spiritually attentive early childhood education within Global South contexts without reducing local practice to universal transferable instructional technique.
Keywords:
Article Details
How to Cite
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal, provided that the work is not used for commercial purposes.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement 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) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Privacy Statement
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.
How to Cite
References
Arbi, B., Jazuli, M., Wadiyo, W., & Cahyono, A. (2021). Festival Lima Gunung Magelang performances in the Covid-19 pandemic era. Proceedings of International Conference on Science, Education, and Technology, 7(1), 81–85. https://proceeding.unnes.ac.id/ISET/article/view/1938
Arda Tuncdemir, T. B., Burroughs, M. D., & Moore, G. (2022). Effects of philosophical ethics in early childhood on preschool children’s social–emotional competence and theory of mind. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-022-00098-w
Ardoin, N., & Bowers, A. (2020). Early childhood environmental education: A systematic review of the research literature. Educational Research Review, 31, Article 100353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100353
Asmayawati, Yufiarti, & Yetti, E. (2024). Pedagogical innovation and curricular adaptation in enhancing digital literacy: A local wisdom approach for sustainable development in Indonesia context. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2024.100233
Aswoyo, J., & Sularso, S. (2020). The concept of panutan in governance Festival Lima Gunung in Magelang Central Java Indonesia. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education, 20(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v20i1.24818
Bascopé, M., Perasso, P., & Reiss, K. (2019). Systematic review of education for sustainable development at an early stage: Cornerstones and pedagogical approaches for teacher professional development. Sustainability, 11(3), Article 719. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030719
Bautista, A., Moreno-Núñez, A., Bull, R., Amsah, F., & Koh, S. (2018). Arts-related pedagogies in preschool education: An Asian perspective. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 45, 277–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.12.005
Beasy, K. M., Vargas, V., Zheng, R., & Guo, L. (2024). Constructing the early-stage framework of cultural identity enlightenment in kindergarten heritage education. Sustainability, 16(21), Article 9402. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219402
Bieler, P., Bister, M. D., Hauer, J., Klausner, M., Niewöhner, J., Schmid, C., & von Peter, S. (2020). Distributing reflexivity through co-laborative ethnography. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 50(1), 77–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241620968271
Caiman, C., Hedefalk, M., & Ottander, C. (2021). Pre-school teaching for creative processes in education for sustainable development: Invisible animal traces, purple hands, and an elk container. Environmental Education Research, 28, 457–475. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.2012130
Chapman, S. N., & O’Gorman, L. (2022). Transforming learning environments in early childhood contexts through the arts: Responding to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. International Journal of Early Childhood, 54(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-022-00320-3
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. SAGE Publications.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Fajrie, N., Hariyadi, A., Faizah, H., Evans, D., Prestoza, M., & Pratama, H. (2024). Natural material media in early childhood collage art creativity: Study of local cultural learning with a qualitative approach. Journal of Innovation in Educational and Cultural Research. https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v5i4.1914
Farnsworth, V., Kleanthous, I., & Wenger-Trayner, E. (2016). Communities of practice as a social theory of learning: A conversation with Etienne Wenger. British Journal of Educational Studies, 64(2), 139–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2015.1133799
Häggström, M., & Schmidt, C. (2020). Enhancing children’s literacy and ecological literacy through critical place-based pedagogy. Environmental Education Research, 26, 1729–1745. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1812537
Hayes, N., Maguire, J., & O’Sullivan, C. (2021). Professional development in arts education for early childhood education: A creative exchange model. International Journal of Early Childhood, 53(2), 159–174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-021-00290-y
Kalafati, M., Flogaiti, E., & Daskolia, M. (2024). Enhancing preschoolers’ creativity through art-based environmental education for sustainability. Environmental Education Research, 31, 46–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2023.2291319
Kireeva, O. (2020). Theoretical model of children’s ecological and artistic education system in the context of ethno-cultural traditions. [Journal title not specified in source], 153–162. https://doi.org/10.31862/2218-8711-2020-5-153-162
Mamur, N., & Çelik, T. (2023). Ecological art pedagogy: Co-creation for ecological transformation. Education 3-13, 53, 1321–1338. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2023.2266510
McLinden, M., Lynch, P., Soni, A., Artiles, A., Kholowa, F., Kamchedzera, E., Mbukwa, J., & Mankhwazi, M. (2018). Supporting children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries: Promoting inclusive practice within community-based childcare centres in Malawi through a bioecological systems perspective. International Journal of Early Childhood, 50(2), 159–174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-018-0223-y
Menezes, M., & Smaniotto Costa, C. (2024). The role of collaborative ethnography in placemaking. Humans, 4(3), 284–297. https://doi.org/10.3390/humans4030018
Misiaszek, G. W. (2017). Educating the global environmental citizen: Understanding ecopedagogy in local and global contexts. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315204345
Misiaszek, G. W. (2020a). Ecopedagogy: Critical environmental teaching for planetary justice and global sustainable development. Bloomsbury Academic.
Misiaszek, G. W. (2020b). Ecopedagogy: Teaching critical literacies of “development,” “sustainability,” and “sustainable development.” Teaching in Higher Education, 25(5), 615–632. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1586668
Moula, Z., Palmer, K., & Walshe, N. (2022). A systematic review of arts-based interventions delivered to children and young people in nature or outdoor spaces: Impact on nature connectedness, health and wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.858781
Mulya, T. W., Sakhiyya, Z., Muslim, A. B., & Suryani, A. (2022). Locally-grounded, embodied, and spiritual: Exploring alternative constructions of democratic education with/in Indonesian schools. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 32(5), 1127–1143. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2022.2142840
Nasiopoulou, P., Mellgren, E., Sheridan, S., & Williams, P. (2022). Conditions for children’s language and literacy learning in Swedish preschools: Exploring quality variations with ECERS-3. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51(7), 1305–1316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01377-4
Nordbø, A. L., & Fredriksen, B. C. (2023). Reducing inequalities among species through an arts-based inquiry in early childhood teacher education. Nordic Journal of Art & Research, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.7577/ar.5132
Ødegaard, E. (2021). Reimagining “collaborative exploration”: A signature pedagogy for sustainability in early childhood education and care. Sustainability, 13, Article 5139. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095139
Olsson, S., Morris, P., & Belhaj, A. (2023). Who defines Islam? Critical perspectives on Islamic studies. Religions, 14(6), Article 753. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14060753
Peters, S., & Barnett, T. (2024). Preparing artists to save the world: Community-engaged arts practice as critical pedagogy. Critical Arts: A Journal for Cultural Studies, 38(4–5), 159–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560046.2024.2338355
Poje, M., Marinić, I., Stanisavljević, A., & Rechner Dika, I. (2024). Environmental education on sustainable principles in kindergartens: A foundation or an option? Sustainability, 16(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072707
Ritchie, J. (2017). Fostering eco-cultural literacies for social, cultural, and ecological justice: A perspective from Aotearoa (New Zealand). International Journal of Early Childhood, 49(3), 287–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-017-0198-0
Röttger-Rössler, B. (2024). Beyond schools: Multisensory learning and knowledge acquisition in informal contexts: Perspectives from rural Indonesia. American Behavioral Scientist. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642241246676
Sakti, S. A., Endraswara, S., & Rohman, A. (2024). Revitalizing local wisdom within character education through ethnopedagogy approach: A case study on a preschool in Yogyakarta. Heliyon, 10(10), Article e31370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31370
Saraiva, E., & Azevedo, M. M. (2020). Primary school project fostering environmental education through art. Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences, 14(7), 101. https://doi.org/10.5539/mas.v14n7p101
Sari, M., Ardipal, & Budiwirman. (2020). The development of a drawing skills training model for early childhood teachers. International Journal of Management and Humanities, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.35940/ijmh.D1201.125420
Scheidecker, G., Tekola, B., Rasheed, M., Oppong, S., Mezzenzana, F., Keller, H., & Chaudhary, N. (2024). Ending epistemic exclusion: Toward a truly global science and practice of early childhood development. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 8(1), 3–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(23)00292-4
Shih, Y. H. (2020). Investigating the aesthetic domain of the “Early Childhood Education and Care Curriculum Framework” for young students in Taiwan. International Journal of Education, 8(1), 37–44. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.2020.81.37.44
Streelasky, J., & Lemon, M. (2024). A decolonizing approach to early learning: Toddlers’ and preschoolers’ engagement with the land and Indigenous ways of knowing. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2024.2446909
Sunassee, A., & Bokhoree, C. (2021). A designed eco-art and place-based curriculum encouraging students’ empathy for the environment. Ecologies. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies2030014
UNESCO. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education.
Walshe, N., Bungay, H., & Dadswell, A. (2023). Sustainable outdoor education: Organisations connecting children and young people with nature through the arts. Sustainability, 15, Article 3941. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15053941
Walshe, N., Moula, Z., & Lee, E. (2022). Eco-capabilities as a pathway to wellbeing and sustainability. Sustainability, 14, Article 3582. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063582
Ward, K. (2013). Creative arts-based pedagogies in early childhood education for sustainability (EfS): Challenges and possibilities. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 29, 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2014.4
Whitmore, K. F. (2018). Investigating the influence of dramatic arts on young children’s social and academic development in the world of. Journal for Learning Through the Arts, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.21977/d913119751
Williams, H. P. (2021). The role of federal and state policy in addressing early childhood achievement gaps: Parent perceptions and student outcomes related to 21st Century Learning Centers programming in the United States. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-021-00093-7
Wu, H. (2024). Research on innovative strategies of kindergarten-based specialty programs under the concept of ecological education. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.2478/AMNS-2024-1216
Zuhdi, M. H., & Nasir, M. A. (2024). Al-mashlahah and reinterpretation of Islamic law in contemporary context. Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam, 8(3), 1818–1839. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i3.24918