Religious Values, Local Wisdom, and Environmental Awareness among Primary School Students at Darul Musthofa NW Keru, West Lombok

Abstract

Environmental awareness among primary school students is shaped not only through formal environmental education but also through religious values, family practices, community traditions, and everyday interaction with the surrounding environment. This study explores how religious values and local wisdom are reflected in environmental awareness and everyday environmental practices among primary school students at Darul Musthofa NW Keru, West Lombok. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed using semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, direct observations of school environmental practices, and document-based evidence. The data were organized through initial coding, focused categorization, thematic development, and cross-source comparison. Three themes emerged from the analysis: religious values as a moral foundation for environmental awareness, local wisdom as everyday environmental practice, and the movement from environmental awareness toward everyday action. The findings indicate that students commonly interpreted cleanliness, responsibility, and environmental care through moral and religious language. Family and community practices also appeared to provide contextual experiences through which students understood collective responsibility for environmental cleanliness. At the behavioral level, students demonstrated several observable practices, including waste disposal, classroom and yard cleaning, plant care, and peer reminders. However, these practices were not entirely consistent, suggesting that environmental awareness and environmental behavior should not be treated as identical constructs. The study highlights the relevance of integrating religious values and locally situated knowledge into primary environmental education while recognizing the contextual and socially mediated nature of students’ environmental behavior.