Issues involved in the adoption of Realistic Mathematics Education in Indonesian culture

Research on educational borrowing has been largely concerned with debates on the complexity of transferring educational models and approaches from one culture to another. This study aims to understand the issues involved in the adoption of a Dutch approach to mathematics instruction, Realistic Mathematics Education (RME), in Indonesian culture. The data collected include a questionnaire survey for Indonesian teachers who have been trained for RME implementation, and classroom observations and interviews at three schools in Jakarta. An analysis on how RME is reflected in an Indonesian RME-based textbook was also conducted. The findings show that while there are aspects of RME that can be adopted or adapted in the Indonesian context, many other aspects have been translated differently from what was originally phrased by the Dutch educators. This study discusses some factors that may explain how RME was effectuated in Indonesia, including one from the lens of culture.