Integrating Educational Technology in History Learning: Advancing Cultural Awareness and Preservation in Indonesia

This study aims to study technology-based learning media that leverage local historical resources to enhance students’ engagement, historical understanding, and cultural awareness to support cultural preservation in Indonesia. The research employs the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) design framework. Research instruments include questionnaires, observation sheets, and interviews. The media were tested with 350 tenth-grade students from four high schools in Yogyakarta, focusing on usability, cultural awareness, engagement, technological usability, and cultural relevance. Validation was conducted by five experts in content, media, and education, evaluating usability, content quality, curriculum alignment, and cultural relevance. Data analysis was performed using ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and correlation tests. The results indicate that the media effectively enhances students’ cultural awareness, with the cultural relevance dimension achieving the highest score (4.6) among all aspects. A significant positive correlation between engagement and cultural awareness (r = 0.76; p < 0.001) suggests that active student engagement directly contributes to their cultural understanding. The developed media integrates augmented reality/virtual reality technologies, narrative quizzes, historical simulations, and student engagement tracking. This study offers a global contribution by providing a strategic approach that integrates cultural preservation and technology in education, making it relevant for application in various countries facing digitalization and cultural preservation challenges.