Interactive Digital Comic Based on Karo Culture: An Innovation to Improve Students' Numeracy Skills

Introduction: Numeracy is a key competency for the 21st century, yet global and national trends show that many students still fall below adequate levels of competence. On the other hand, local culture faces the threat of extinction due to the lack of integration in the lives of the younger generation. Objectives: This research offers an innovative new approach by developing an interactive digital comic based on Karo Culture as a learning medium to improve students' numeracy skills. The novelty of this research lies in combining authentic local cultural elements with interactive digital technology, creating a learning medium that is not only educative but also culturally relevant. Methods: The method used is research and development with the five stages of the Plomp model. Results: The results showed that the interactive digital comic based on Karo culture has a high level of validity, practical to use, and effective in improving students' numeracy skills. Analysis using e-Views software shows a significant increase in students' numeracy skills, which is 89%. In addition, this approach successfully integrates Karo cultural values into the modern learning process, making it not only an educational tool but also a strategic effort in cultural preservation. Conclusions: The conclusion of this study is that interactive digital comic media based on Karo Culture is an effective and relevant innovation in answering today's educational challenges, as well as contributing to the preservation of local culture in the midst of globalization. The findings provide a strong basis for the development of other culture-based learning media in the future