Integrating Indigenous Ethnobotanical and Phytochemical Knowledge into a Bioinformatics Module for Sustainable Biology Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v15i3.45810Keywords:
Baduy Tribe, Bioinformatics Module, Ethnobotanical, Phytochemical, Biology EducationAbstract
This study aims to develop a bioinformatics module for pre-service biology teachers by integrating indigenous ethnobotanical knowledge and phytochemical information from medicinal and cosmetic plants traditionally used by the Baduy community. The study used a Research and Development (R&D) design based on a modified 4D model comprising the Define, Design, and Develop stages. The module was developed based on 23 plant species, including 17 medicinal and six cosmetic plants, and incorporated GBIF for taxonomic verification, PubChem for phytochemical and molecular exploration, and Google Colab-supported activities for molecular analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction. Seven experts (three bioinformatics experts, two ethnobotany experts, and two learning-media experts) and 16 pre-service biology teachers (eight Indonesian and eight Thai students) evaluated the module. Expert and student responses were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The findings showed that the module was perceived as relevant to bioinformatics, genetics, and biotechnology learning, and that its sequential learning activities helped students engage with complex bioinformatics content. Participants also perceived potential benefits for digital literacy, bioinformatics skills, computational thinking, research skills, and pedagogical competence. However, the study was limited to developmental evaluation with a relatively small sample and did not test instructional effectiveness. Overall, the module showed preliminary relevance and usability as a contextual learning resource that integrates indigenous plant knowledge with contemporary bioinformatics learning.
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