KONSTRUKSI PENGETAHUAN ETNOSAINS PENGOBATAN TRADISIONAL KAYU BAJAKAH (SPATHOLOBUS LITTORALIS HASSK.) DAN POTENSINYA DALAM PEMBELAJARAN IPA

Abstract

The use of bajakah wood in traditional medicine by the Dayak community represents a form of local knowledge that holds potential for study and integration into Natural Science education. This research aims to identify the ethnoscience embedded in the processing of bajakah wood, reconstruct its connections to concepts in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, and analyze its potential as a resource for science learning. The study employs a qualitative, descriptive, ethnoscience-based approach. Data were gathered through interviews with two informants involved in the sale of bajakah, as well as through observation, documentation, and a literature review concerning the plant's characteristics, phytochemical composition, and processing methods. Data analysis involved reduction, categorization, interpretation of local knowledge (emic perspective), and scientific reconstruction (etic perspective). The findings indicate that local knowledge regarding the use of bajakah encompasses the selection of plant parts, peeling, cutting, drying, and processes such as boiling or soaking. These practices incorporate concepts from Biology, specifically plant tissue structure and function, and secondary metabolism; Physics, including temperature, heat, heat transfer, evaporation, and the interaction between light and matter; and Chemistry, covering secondary metabolites, solubility, and extraction. This phenomenon is also linked to biodiversity and environmental sustainability. The study demonstrates that the use of bajakah wood has the potential to serve as a contextual, interdisciplinary framework and resource for science education, while simultaneously fostering the development of scientific literacy, scientific reasoning, critical thinking, and an appreciation for both local wisdom and the environment.