Integrating Kutai Malay Identity Into Global Citizenship Education Through Linguistic Landscape

This study examines the representation of Kutai Malay (KM) in school environments and how the linguistic landscape can be utilized as a medium for teaching KM while nurturing Global Citizen Education (GCE) values. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research documented and categorized 1,183 signs in public junior high schools according to language type (monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual) and contents that deliver GCE values. Focus group discussions with 16 KM language teachers were conducted to explore the integration of GCE principles into their teaching practices. The findings revealed a concerning representation of KM, comprising only 6.8% of the linguistic landscape, highlighting the urgency of utilizing this landscape as a medium for teaching and representing KM in schools. Although teachers are enthusiastic about incorporating GCE values into KM instruction, they encounter significant challenges, including limited resources and insufficient knowledge of GCE principles. Additionally, the integration of local wisdom, such as proverbs and traditional poetry, remains inadequate. Leveraging the linguistic landscape for teaching and preserving Kutai Malay is urgent. The study identifies limitations, including the underrepresentation of KM language in the schoolscape environment and a lack of local wisdom content in KM material, especially relating to the use of the school linguistic landscape as media for teaching KM and GCE. It recommends enhancing the representation of KM language in the school linguistic landscape and integrating GCE into teaching KM to empower students to embrace their cultural heritage, develop global citizenship skills, and foster inclusivity while preparing them for local and global challenges.