Communication Education in Indonesia-Timor Leste Border Schools in Building Ecological Awareness and National Resilience

  • Florens Maxi Un Bria Department of Catholic Religious Education, Sekolah Tinggi Pastoral Keuskupan Agung Kupang, Indonesia
  • Vinsensius Bawa Toron Department of Catholic Religious Education, Sekolah Tinggi Pastoral Reinha Larantuka, Indonesia
  • Joel C. Sagut Faculty of Philosophy, University of Santo Thomas, Philippines
Keywords: Border school, Communication, Ecological, National resilience

Abstract

This study aims to conduct and observe the implementation of communication education in schools in the Indonesia-Timor Leste border area, as well as analyze its influence on the formation of students' ecological awareness in strengthening national resilience and national defense attitudes, and can contribute to the development of communication education models based on ecological and national values in border areas. This study used a qualitative approach with a case study design where three selected schools are Surya Catholic High School in Timor’s capital city, Dili. The number of participants in this study was thirty, including school administrators, teaching staff, and their students. Data were collected by observations and in-depth interviews and analyzed using a qualitative approach, which is data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing (triangulation). The learning interaction model of dialogical and participatory fostered the contextual learning related to environmental ecology and the incorporation of national values and morality in the community life. The studies are innovative for their approach in integrating communication education, ecological awareness, and national resilience in socio-cultural field border area schools and contextual and participative learning processes.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Al-Barakat, A., AlAli, R., Alotaibi, S., Alrashood, J., Abdullatif, A., & Zaher, A. (2025). Science education as a pathway to sustainable awareness: Teachers’ perceptions on fostering understanding of humans and the environment: A qualitative study. Sustainability, 17(15), Article 7136. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157136

Alders, R. G., Ali, S. N., Ameri, A. A., Bagnol, B., Cooper, T. L., Gozali, A., Hidayat, M. M., Rukambile, E., Wong, J. T., & Catley, A. (2020). Participatory epidemiology: Principles, practice, utility, and lessons learnt. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, Article 532763. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.532763

Andersen, D. J., & Prokkola, E.-K. (2022). Borderlands resilience: Transitions, adaptations and challenges. Routledge.

Atikawati, D., Harahab, N., Caesar, N. R., Puspitawati, D., Muflihulafi, D. A., Supriyadi, S., Wardana, N. K., Hakim, A. I., Fathah, A. L., Putri, B. M., Isdianto, A., Maskan, M., & Utaminingsih, A. (2024). Political and ideological vulnerabilities in Indonesia’s border with Timor-Leste to support state resilience and security: A study on Belu and Malaka regencies. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 19(6), 2319–2331. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.190630

Beacco, J.-C., Byram, M., Cavalli, M., Coste, D., Cuenat, M. E., Goullier, F., & Panthier, J. (2016). Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education. Council of Europe.

Cardoso, A., Correia, M. R., & Simões, J. (2026). Blue thinking: Human-centered design for sustainability and the blue economy in education. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Human Intelligent Systems Integration (IHSI 2026): Disruptive and innovative technologies. https://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1007147

Chavez-Miguel, G., Bonatti, M., Ácevedo-Osorio, Á., Sieber, S., & Löhr, K. (2022). Agroecology as a grassroots approach for environmental peacebuilding: Strengthening social cohesion and resilience in post-conflict settings with community-based natural resource management. GAIA: Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 31(1), 36–45. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.31.1.9

Damiani, V., & Fraillon, J. (2025). Civic and citizenship education, global citizenship education, and education for sustainable development: An analysis of their integrated conceptualization and measurement in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2016 and 2022. Large-Scale Assessments in Education, 13(1), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-025-00237-y

Dascil, R. M. (2025). Subaltern climate change adaptation: A theoretical framework on strategic resilience in subnational border communities. International Journal of Social Science and Education Research Studies, 5(4), 355–362. https://doi.org/10.55677/ijssers/V05I04Y2025-01

Deda, Y. N., Amsikan, S., & Son, A. L. (2025). Integrating traditional games into digital worksheets to enhance numeracy skills of students in border area. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8(6), Article 2026365. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026365

Faganel, A., & Kovač, B. (2025). Inquiring and strengthening the environmental awareness among elementary school children. International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 37(4), 439–473. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJIL.2025.146510

Felix, S. M., Lønnum, M., Lykknes, A., & Staberg, R. L. (2025). Teachers’ understanding of and practices in critical thinking in the context of education for sustainable development: A systematic review. Education Sciences, 15(7), Article 824. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15070824

Fernández-Castrillo, C., & López-Varela Azcárate, A. (2024). Intermedial participatory culture: Ludification and gamification for sustainable development. Arte, Individuo y Sociedad, Advance online publication, e92679. https://doi.org/10.5209/aris.92679

Ghazian, N., & Lortie, C. (2024). Ten simple rules for incorporating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into environmental and natural science courses. Sustainability, 16(21), Article 9594. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219594

Goulah, J. (2010). Conceptualizing environmental refugees in education: A transformative language-learning framework. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 4(3), 192–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2010.490741

Grundy, Q., Parker, L., Wong, A., Fusire, T., Dimancesco, D., Tisocki, K., Walkowiak, H., Vian, T., & Kohler, J. (2022). Disclosure, transparency, and accountability: A qualitative survey of public sector pharmaceutical committee conflict of interest policies in the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region. Globalization and Health, 18(1), Article 33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00822-8

Gustomo, A., Ghina, A., Zailani, S., & Xavier, D. D. F. (2025). Analyzing innovation capability: A case study of Timor Leste Business School and Indonesia Business School. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 15(3), 612–638. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-10-2024-0297

Halder, S., Banerjee, S., Youssef, Y. M., Chandel, A., Alarifi, N., Bhandari, G., & Abd-Elmaboud, M. E. (2025). Ground–surface water assessment for agricultural land prioritization in the Upper Kansai Basin, India: An integrated SWAT-VIKOR framework approach. Water, 17(6), Article 880. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17060880

Hardini, T. I., Yulianeta, Y., Fikrianto, M., Hamidah, H., Emilia, E., & Kharismawati, L. R. S. (2023). ASEAN students’ interest in learning the Indonesian language: A descriptive study from the perspective of SEAMEO ASEAN. International Journal of Language Education, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v7i4.59491

Kanoksilapatham, B., & Takrudkaew, T. (2025). Integrating ChatGPT to enhance university students’ communication skills: Pedagogical considerations. World Journal of English Language, 15(6), 173. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v15n6p173

Khan, A., Khan, S., & Burton, N. (2022). Insufficient physical activity and high sedentary behaviour are associated with loneliness in adolescents with overweight/obesity: Evidence from 23 low- and middle-income countries. Pediatric Obesity, 17(2), e12836. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.12836

Khan, S., Nazneen, A., Singh, M., Ali, I. S., Qazi, S., & Arafat, M. Y. (2025). The interplay of environmental awareness, education, and self-efficacy in shaping sustainable entrepreneurial intentions: An empirical study in India. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), Article 1321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-02185-7

Kowalski, C. P., Nevedal, A. L., Finley, E. P., Young, J. P., Lewinski, A. A., Midboe, A. M., & Hamilton, A. B. (2024). Planning for and assessing rigor in rapid qualitative analysis (PARRQA): A consensus-based framework for designing, conducting, and reporting. Implementation Science, 19(1), Article 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-024-01397-1

Kressmann, K., & Mueller-Seeger, J. (2025). Harmonizing rigor, relevance, and insight: A mixed inductive approach for qualitative analysis with the Gioia methodology and the GABEK® method. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24, 16094069251342540. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251342540

Laari, L. (2025). Inductive-deductive qualitative data analysis logic in health sciences research: A framework for analysing qualitative data. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24, Article 16094069251381706. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251381706

Lee, R., & Al-Adeimi, S. (2025). Supporting literacy through the Justice and Dialogic Education (JADE) framework. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(4), e70062. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.70062

Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Health Promotion Practice, 16(4), 473–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839915580941

Lim, W. M. (2025). What is qualitative research? An overview and guidelines. Australasian Marketing Journal, 33(2), 199–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619

Mani, M., Gezelius, M., Löwgren, J., Höst, G., Koć-Januchta, M. M., Tibell, L. A. E., & Schönborn, K. J. (2026). Designing with multiple perspectives: An interactive learning environment for developing systems thinking in a carbon cycle context. Interactive Learning Environments, 34(1), 218–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2025.2494161

Maulida, R., Ikeda, E., Oni, T., & van Sluijs, E. M. F. (2022). Descriptive epidemiology of the prevalence of adolescent active travel to school in Asia: A cross-sectional study from 31 countries. BMJ Open, 12(4), e057082. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057082

Mfodwo, E., Lanka, P., Aydogan, A. F., & Varol, C. (2026). Uncovering the security landscape of maritime software-defined radios: A threat modeling perspective. Applied Sciences, 16(2), Article 813. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020813

Minett, A. J., Dietrich, S. E., & Ekici, D. (2022). Person to person peacebuilding, intercultural communication and English language teaching: Voices from the virtual intercultural borderlands (Vol. 37). Channel View Publications.

Nugroho, W. S., & Pena, A. A. (2025). More for the girls? Postindependence education expenditure in Timor-Leste. Asian Development Review, 42(2), 249–278. https://doi.org/10.1142/S011611052550012X

Ogodo, J. A. (2026). Teaching sensitive topics through critical reflective practice and discourse: A curricular guide. Education Sciences, 16(1), Article 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010077

Papavasileiou, A., Konteos, G., Kalogiannidis, S., Kalfas, D., & Papadopoulou, C.-I. (2025). Investigating the impact of sustainability-themed extracurricular activities on student engagement with the 17 SDGs by 2026: A case study of Greece. Sustainability, 17(7), Article 3071. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073071

Parker, L., & Prabawa-Sear, K. (2020). Environmental education in Indonesia: Creating responsible citizens in the Global South. Routledge.

Pereira, A. J., Ximenes, D., João, A. A. D. C., Gomes, M. B., Lonai, N. B., Jong, J. B. D. C., & Ting, S. (2025). An assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning rabies among communities with a high disease risk in Timor-Leste. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 244, Article 106653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106653

Persano Adorno, D., Birsan, E. A., Stoica, S. F., Capatina, M., Cojocaru, C., Tzortzaki, A., Štanfelj, Z., Dinçer, Y. S., & Pizzolato, N. (2025). Sustainability as a cross-curricular link: Creative European strategies for eco-conscious environmental education. Sustainability, 17(11), Article 5193. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115193

Reddy, P. J. K., & Revathy, K. (2024). Contextual learning. In Digital skill development for Industry 4.0 (pp. 83–104). Auerbach Publications. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003504894-8

Selvianiresa, D., & Prabawanto, S. (2017). Contextual teaching and learning approach of mathematics in primary schools. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 895(1), Article 012171. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/895/1/012171

Sharma, S., Yost, M. A., & Reeve, J. R. (2025). Roles of organic agriculture for water optimization in arid and semi-arid regions. Sustainability, 17(12), Article 5452. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125452

Solechan, A., Zuhdi, M. L., & Syauqillah, M. (2024). The influence of Islamic religious education based on religious moderation and national defence on the nationalism of students. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(6), 628–636. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i6.4031

Ting-Toomey, S., & Dorjee, T. (2018). Communicating across cultures. Guilford Publications.

Wallace, H. J., McDonald, S., Belton, S., Isolina Miranda, A., Da Costa, E., Da Conceicao Matos, L., Henderson, H., & Taft, A. (2020). Who decides to have sex? Exploring the perceptions of Timorese women and men through a reproductive justice lens. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 22(1), 112–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1578414

Published
2026-07-29
How to Cite
Bria, F. M. U., Toron , V. B., & Sagut, J. C. (2026). Communication Education in Indonesia-Timor Leste Border Schools in Building Ecological Awareness and National Resilience. Studies in Learning and Teaching, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v7i2.872
Abstract viewed = 8 times