A symbolic-philosophical kawung batik–based mathematical mindset intervention in STEAM education: A conceptual design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29407/jmen.v11i2.27638Keywords:
mathematical mindset, ethnomathematics, Batik Kawung, STEAM education , culturally responsive pedagogyAbstract
Research on the relationship between mathematical attitudes and cultural values is lacking, especially in non-Western educational contexts. This study proposes mindset interventions based on the philosophical and symbolic interpretations of Kawung Batik, a Javanese motif expressing harmony, resilience, self-reflection, and social connectivity. The methodology combines theoretical literature with a cultural-symbolic understanding of Kawung's relevance. Saefudin et al. (2023) identified six psychological dimensions of mathematical mindset: beliefs about ability, reactions to adversity, attitudes toward failure, appreciation of effort, openness to critique, and perceptions of peer success. The symbolic constructs are carefully aligned with these dimensions. The framework includes four STEAM pedagogical designs: reconstructing geometric shapes, algorithmically producing patterns, studying batik materials and processes, and critically reflecting on cultural significances. These scenarios stimulate emotional and cognitive development and promote a culturally integrated mathematical identity. The proposed methodology reframes culture as a powerful tool for transforming students' mathematics learning experiences. This study lays the groundwork for classroom-based research, including iterative design studies to confirm the model's pedagogical and affective effects.
References
Aguayo, C., Videla, R., López-Cortés, F., Rossel, S., & Ibacache, C. (2023). Ethical enactivism for smart and inclusive STEAM learning design. Heliyon, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19205
Brady, W. J., Wills, J. A., Jost, J. T., Tucker, J. A., & Bavel, J. J. (2017). Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(28), 7313–7318. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1618923114
Canning, E. A., & Limeri, L. B. (2023). Theoretical and methodological directions in mindset intervention research. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17(ue 6)). https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12758
Chao, M. M., Huang, A. H., Mukhopadhyay, A., & Shon, J. (2025). Divergent effects of mindsets on performance trajectories. Npj Science of Learning, 10(1), 64. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00355-w
Chappell, K., & Hetherington, L. (2023). Creative pedagogies in digital STEAM practices: natural, technological and cultural entanglements for powerful learning and activism. Cultural Studies of Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-023-10200-4
Claro, S., Paunesku, D., & Dweck, C. S. (2016). Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(31), 8664–8668. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1608207113
Costantino, T. (2018). STEAM by another name: Transdisciplinary practice in art and design education. Arts Education Policy Review, 119(2), 100–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2017.1292973
D'Ambrosio, U. (1985). Ethnomathematics and Its Place in the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics. For the Learning of Mathematics.
Decorte, B., & Vlieghe, J. (2024). Towards a pedagogical conception of imagination in STEAM education. Ethics and Education, 19(2), 218–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449642.2024.2361560
Fwu, B. J., Wang, H. H., Chen, S. W., & Wei, C. F. (2017). 'Feeling bad' or 'being bad?' The trapping effect of effort in academic failure in a Confucian cultural context. Educational Psychology, 37(4), 506–519. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2016.1152355
Geertz, C. (1976). Art as a Cultural System. MLN, 91(6), 1473–1499. https://doi.org/10.2307/2907147
Gu, J., & Wang, J. L. (2024). Basic psychological needs satisfaction profiles and well-being among Chinese adolescents and Chinese university students: the role of growth mindset. Current Psychology, 43(13), 11998–12006. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05321-6
Haryono, A. (2019). Telaah Filosofi Batik Tradisional Jawa: Studi Kasus Motif Kawung. Jurnal Humaniora Dan Pendidikan, 17(3), 213–226.
Huang, Z., Wei, X., Lu, R., & Shi, J. (2022). Whether and how can a growth mindset intervention help students in a non-western culture? Evidence from a field experiment in China. Educational Psychology, 42(7), 913–929. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2022.2085669
Im, S. H., & Park, H. J. (2023). A Mathematical Mindset Scale using the positive norms. Psychology in the Schools, 60(8), 2901–2918. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22904
Jaakkola, E. (2020). Designing conceptual articles: four approaches. AMS Review, 10(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-020-00161-0
Kangas, K., Sormunen, K., & Korhonen, T. (2022). Creative Learning with Technologies in Young Students' STEAM Education. In S. Papadakis & M. Kalogiannakis (Eds.), STEM, Robotics, Mobile Apps in Early Childhood and Primary Education. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0568-1_9
Keller, H. (2019). The role of emotions in socialization processes across cultures: Implications for theory and practice. In The handbook of culture and psychology (2nd ed., pp. 209–231). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190679743.003.0008
Kember, D. (2000). Misconceptions about the learning approaches, motivation and study practices of Asian students. Higher Education, 40(1), 99–121. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004036826490
Kim, Y. C., Kwok, P. L. Y., & Jung, J.-H. (2025). Demystifying the Western Imagination of the Miracle of East Asia Education: Transboundary Learning Culture as a New Discourse on Students' Academic Success. Beijing International Review of Education, 7(1-2), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/25902547251356024
Lee, H. J., & Herner-Patnode, L. (2025). Approaches to Empowering Preservice Teachers to Enact Culturally Responsive Mathematical Teaching. The Educational Forum, 89(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2024.2370412
Machaba, F., & Dhlamini, J. (2021). Ethnomathematics as a Fundamental Teaching Approach BT - Mathematics Teaching and Professional Learning in sub-Sahara Africa (K. Luneta, Ed.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82723-6_5
Macnamara, B. N., & Burgoyne, A. P. (2023). Do growth mindset interventions impact students' academic achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis with recommendations for best practices. Psychological Bulletin, 149(ues 3-4), 133–173. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000352
Martin, L. C., & Towers, J. (2015). Growing mathematical understanding through Collective Image Making, Collective Image Having, and Collective Property Noticing. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 88(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-014-9552-4
Peng, P., & Kievit, R. A. (2020). The Development of Academic Achievement and Cognitive Abilities: A Bidirectional Perspective. Child Development Perspectives, 14(1), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12352
Pham Thi Hong, T. (2011). Issues to consider when implementing student-centred learning practices at Asian higher education institutions. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33(5), 519–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2011.605226
Putra, W. A. (2019). Interpretasi Filosofi Kawung dalam Konteks Pendidikan Multikultural. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 24(2), 134–146.
Roberts, T., Jackson, C., Mohr-Schroeder, M. J., Maiorca, C., Bush, S. B., & Cook, K. (2024). Disrupting the STEM status quo with equity‐focused integrated STEM practices (ISPs. School Science and Mathematics. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12665
Saefudin, A. A., Wijaya, A., Dwiningrum, S. I. A., & Yoga, D. (2023). The characteristics of the mathematical mindset of junior high school students. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12770
Serrano Corkin, D. M., Ekmekci, A., & Fisher, A. (2020). Integrating Culture, Art, Geometry, and Coding to Enhance Computer Science Motivation Among Underrepresented Minoritized High School Students. The Urban Review, 52(5), 950–969. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-020-00586-8
Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2018). To What Extent and Under Which Circumstances Are Growth Mind-Sets Important to Academic Achievement? Two Meta-Analyses. Psychological Science, 29(4), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704
Soedarmo, T. (2013). Repetisi dan Simbolisme dalam Batik Tradisional: Studi Etnosemiotika. Penerbit Ombak.
Sunaryo, S. (2015). Makna Filosofis Motif Batik Kawung dan Relevansinya dalam Pembentukan Karakter Bangsa. Jurnal Seni Dan Budaya, 11(2), 101–112.
Sunzuma, G., & Umbara, U. (2025). Ethnomathematics-based technology in Indonesia: A systematic review. Asian Journal for Mathematics Education, 4(1), 129–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/27527263241305812
Susanto, M. A. (1980). Simbolisme dalam Seni Tradisional Jawa. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Ting, Y. S., & Yeh, Y. (2024). Growth-mindset intervention effects and the relationship of mindset, hope belief, and self-efficacy during creativity game-based learning. Interactive Learning Environments, 32(7), 3146–3162. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2023.2170418
U.n.e.s.c.o. (2009). Nomination File for Indonesian Batik as Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indonesian-batik-00170
UNESCO. (2018). Global Education Meeting, Brussels Declaration. UNESCO.
Yeager, D. S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G. M., Murray, J. S., Crosnoe, R., Muller, C., Tipton, E., Schneider, B., Hulleman, C. S., Hinojosa, C. P., Paunesku, D., Romero, C., Flint, K., Roberts, A., Trott, J., Iachan, R., Buontempo, J., Yang, S. M., Carvalho, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573(7774), 364–369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y
Yogyakarta, K. (2015). Katalog Motif Batik Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. Museum Batik Keraton.
Younger, J. W., D'Esposito, Z., Geng, I. S., Haft, S. L., O'Laughlin, K. D., Anguera, J. A., Bunge, S. A., Ferrer, E. E., Hoeft, F., McCandliss, B. D., Mishra, J., Rosenberg-Lee, M., Gazzaley, A., Uncapher, M. R., & Consortium, P. I. (2024). Growth mindset as a protective factor for middle schoolers at academic risk. Social Psychology of Education, 27(3), 1283–1304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-023-09863-2
Zhu, Y., & Leung, F. K. S. (2011). Motivation and Achievement: Is There an East Asian Model? International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9(5), 1189–1212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-010-9255-y
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Abdul Aziz Saefudin, Mahilda Dea Komalasari, R. Hafid Hardyanto, Erni Puji Astuti, Dian Putri Pramitasari, Diva Al Diniyah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Copyright on any article is retained by the author(s).
- The author grants the journal, the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
- The article and any associated published material is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License




