Profile of Adiwiyata School Students' Prior Knowledge of Natural Resource Conservation in the Context of Local Wisdom in Surakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

This study aimed to identify students’ prior knowledge of natural resource conservation in the context of local wisdom. The study employed a survey design conducted in Surakarta City. The sample consisted of 320 students from Adiwiyata senior high schools, determined using the Yamane formula and allocated proportionally through stratified random sampling. The students were divided into two groups: city-level Adiwiyata schools and provincial-level Adiwiyata schools. Data were collected using a 14-item multiple-choice test on natural resource conservation in the context of local wisdom in Surakarta and its surrounding areas, complemented by interviews with Biology teachers. Test data were analyzed using the Rasch model in the QUEST program to obtain student ability estimates and the percentage of correct responses for each item, while interview data were summarized descriptively to support the interpretation of the test results. The results showed that students’ prior knowledge of natural resource conservation in the context of local wisdom in both city-level and provincial-level Adiwiyata schools was categorized as moderate, with mean estimates of −0.37 and −0.34 logits, respectively. These findings indicate that students possessed a basic understanding of conservation but had not yet fully connected it with local flora, fauna, and conservation practices in the Soloraya region. This study was limited by its cross-sectional survey design and its focus on four state senior high schools in Surakarta; therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to all Adiwiyata schools. Future research should involve more diverse school contexts, use mixed methods and performance-based assessments, and develop learning interventions that integrate local biodiversity and local wisdom into Biology instruction.