Interdisciplinary Education: The Natural Learning of a Coastal Community in Southeast Sulawesi

Abstract

Coastal communities can adapt to the environment if certain life practices, such as education, are carried out in a sustainable manner. The goal of this paper was to paint a picture of the educational life of children of the Bajo tribe in primary and secondary school, who live on the coast of Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi. This interdisciplinary qualitative study used observation techniques to examine educational activities that occur in the daily lives of the Bajo tribe community, as well as interviews with Bajo tribe parents and children about educational activities in the Wakatobi coastal environment. The findings of this study revealed that: (1) the daily activities of the Bajo tribe’s children were depicted as natural adaptations to their environment (coastal), albeit in a limited way. Formal learning activities and learning infrastructure were used to reflect educational limitations. Formal learning in schools was not maximally implemented according to the applicable curriculum; learning facilities were created naturally; and infrastructure was constrained by access and availability of related supporting elements. (2) Interdisciplinary education was illustrated through arbitrary learning activities that took place; children’s communities were more independent; and they showed a close and caring relationship through learning activities with meaning. Based on the characteristics of their residential area (coast), the learning moment occurred by opening up to external communicative interactions, but it was very limited.
 Keywords: interdisciplinary education, natural learning, coastal communities, Bajo tribe

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