Maria Sazonova ‘ 26

Figure 1: Small children joyfully playing Petak Umpet 

Petak Umpet is an Indonesian variation on the widespread game of hide and seek, one that provides cultural insight and preservation. Education of the young is extremely important for the wellbeing and future advancement of the State, and traditional games are important cultural based learning resources. A research team from The University of Jambi, Indonesia, conducted research on the benefits of incorporating games, specifically Petak Umpet, into the learning process for kindergarten levels. This game’s integration was speculated to build the characteristic of love, categorized by a sense of belonging, pride and respect for one’s country, and pursuit of peace preservation for one’s homeland as well as a germination of nationalistic spirit. 

This study utilized a quantitative and qualitative approach; 44 fourth grade students, from Negeri 64/I school, located in Muara, Batang hari, were given questionnaires  and interviewed. Questionnaires were on the topics of “Students’ response to the incorporation of Petak Umpet” and “Subsequent level of love and desire for peace in one’s homeland” and consisted of 16 questions evaluated on an agreement/disagreement scale. Responses from students suggested that teachers rarely incorporate games in learning aside from physical education. When Petak Umpet was added into learning, students were more excited to learn and more active in the psychomotor realm. Results of the questionnaires and interviews  – consisting of questions that assessed polite behavior, forgiveness levels, helping instinct, mentalities about the nation, and feelings while playing Petak Umpet – overwhelmingly supported the hypothesis of a positive relationship between traditional games and positive feelings toward the nation and its citizens. The majority of students agreed with the positive statements and disagreed with the negative statements. The results were subjected to a linearity test, which suggested that the data is linear and represents a direct and causal relationship between an exhibited love for the homeland and the integration of Petak Umpet. 

This study demonstrates the importance of the implementation of traditional cultural games into a learning curriculum to foster an early love in the students for their nation and culture. This research is limited by grade 4 competencies, so further research on the subject could take directions such as exploring various other Indonesian games derived from different tribal and ethnic traditions, both physically and intellectually focused, and their effect on students of different ages.

Works Cited

[1] Asrial, et al. “Response, Peace-Loving Characters and Homeland Love Characters: Integrating Traditional Game of Petak Umpet.” Jurnal Iqra’: Kajian Ilmu Pendidikan, 7, 275-294 (2022).  Doi: 10.25217/ji.v7i1.2064
[2] Image retrieved from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petak_umpet2.jpg