Kem Tutul: A Contextualized Storybook for Values Education and Its Implications on Character Development and Cultural Preservation

Despite the emphasis on contextualized learning materials, challenges remain in enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of values education. At Lembotu Elementary School, the Values Education Mean Percentage Score (MPS) for the 2024–2025 school year indicates an average level of mastery and limited impact of contextualized activities on student performance. To address this, the study examines the effects of Kem Tutul, a contextualized storybook, on character development and cultural preservation among T'boli learners.This research employs a descriptive and correlational method, utilizing adapted survey questionnaires to assess Kem Tutul's effectiveness. The study draws on frameworks from Estandarte (2019) and Banks & Banks (2019) to evaluate its influence on cultural and moral dimensions. Teachers at Lembotu Elementary School and Lembotu Be Nef Extension rated Kem Tutul as highly effective regarding content, organization, mechanics, and overall presentation. Similarly, T'boli learners strongly agreed on its significant impact on character development—specifically in terms of attitude, responsibility, and empathy —and cultural preservation, including practices, values, and traditions. A strong positive relationship was observed between character development and cultural preservation, with changes in character development attributed to cultural preservation.  The findings encourage the integration of contextualized storybooks like Kem Tutul into curricula, especially in schools serving Indigenous communities, to align education with cultural values and foster meaningful learning experiences. While contextualized learning is widely studied in general education, its specific impact on values education for Indigenous learners remains under-researched. This creates a “Population Gap,” as highlighted by Robinson et al. (2011), where certain groups, such as Indigenous learners, are underrepresented in educational research.The study aims to evaluate whether incorporating culturally relevant narratives enhances students' moral reasoning and strengthens their cultural identity, addressing challenges in implementing values education effectively.