SEM-PLS analysis of indigenous knowledge integration in Karapan Sapi and its implications for environmental and scientific literacy

Indigenous knowledge systems represent valuable epistemic resources for strengthening environmental scientific perspectives in contemporary sustainability discourse. The Karapan Sapi tradition of Madura embodies ecological understanding, animal biomechanics, energy transfer, and environmental interaction that can be structurally examined within a scientific framework. This study models the integration of Karapan Sapi based indigenous knowledge and analyzes its structural association with science and environmental literacy using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. A descriptive survey design was employed, involving ninety individuals born and raised in Madura to capture culturally embedded knowledge structures. The PLS SEM analysis evaluates both measurement validity and structural relationships among cultural integration, scientific representation quality, and literacy constructs. The findings indicate that the structured incorporation of Karapan Sapi ecological and physical principles is positively associated with enhanced scientific coherence, contextual relevance, and environmental literacy dimensions. The model demonstrates that indigenous knowledge integration contributes indirectly to strengthening environmental science perspectives by connecting empirical cultural practices with formal scientific constructs. These results provide methodological insight into the application of PLS SEM for modeling culturally grounded environmental science frameworks and offer implications for advancing SDG oriented scientific integration in higher education contexts.