Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Motivation in Enhancing Numeracy Achievement: Evidence from West Papua

Background: Numeracy remains a crucial skill for 21st-century learners, yet many students in remote and coastal regions of Indonesia still face difficulties in applying mathematical concepts to real-life situations. In West Papua, learning contexts are deeply intertwined with local culture, such as traditional markets, sea-product trading, and sago harvesting traditions. Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) offers a pedagogical approach that connects learning content with students’ cultural experiences, potentially enhancing both motivation and achievement in numeracy. Aim: This study aimed to examine the influence of Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and learning motivation on the numeracy achievement of elementary students in coastal cultural settings of Kimindores, West Papua. Method: A quantitative ex post facto design was employed involving 30 students from classes 3A and 3B at SD Negeri 35 Kimindores. Data were collected using three instruments: (1) a CRT implementation scale, (2) a learning motivation questionnaire, and (3) a numeracy test based on local cultural contexts (e.g., fish trading, sago distribution, and counting shells). Data were analyzed using multiple regression to identify the predictive power of CRT and learning motivation on numeracy achievement. Result: Findings revealed that both Culturally Responsive Teaching and learning motivation had a positive and significant effect on students’ numeracy achievement (p < 0.05). CRT accounted for 42% of the variance in numeracy performance, while learning motivation contributed an additional 27%. Students demonstrated stronger conceptual understanding when mathematical problems were contextualized within familiar cultural practices. Conclusion: Culturally Responsive Teaching and learning motivation significantly predict elementary students’ numeracy achievement in coastal cultural contexts. Embedding local culture in mathematics instruction not only enhances engagement but also bridges abstract numerical concepts with everyday life. This study underscores the importance of culturally grounded pedagogies in improving numeracy literacy, especially in remote and multicultural regions such as West Papua.