Bridging cultures and science

This systematic review assesses the development of local wisdom-based citizen science models designed to enhance scientific literacy and foster teacher professional identity in Indonesia’s 3T (frontier, outermost, and least developed) regions. While previous studies have explored ethnoscience and culturally based pedagogy, a conceptual gap persists in connecting these approaches with citizen science frameworks and theories of teacher identity. Guided by PRISMA procedures, fifty eligible studies published between 2018 and 2025 were reviewed using thematic analysis, bibliometric mapping, and meta-analytic synthesis. Findings suggest that integrating local knowledge into science learning enhances relevance, participation, and cultural alignment between communities and schools. Quantitatively, the meta-analysis of twenty-eight comparable studies produced a large effect size (g = 1.12), indicating significant improvements in scientific literacy when local wisdom and citizen science strategies are combined; 72% of studies demonstrated notable learning gains, and 64% reported increases in teacher motivation, self-efficacy, and cultural pedagogical competence. However, scalability, methodological rigor, and long-term sustainability remain significant challenges, particularly in contexts where teaching resources and institutional support are limited. This review proposes a conceptual model linking citizen science participation, culturally responsive pedagogy, and teacher professional identity development. Policy support, long-term evaluation, and scalable teacher training are recommended to institutionalize local wisdom-based citizen science as an equitable science education innovation for marginalized regions.