JATINANGOR – Shelpi Nur Awaliyah, a 2022 student from the Library and Information Science program at Fikom, Unpad, has successfully secured a grant for the 2024 Student Creativity Program (PKM). Her research, titled “Ethnoparenting and the Effectiveness of Cultural Literacy as an Effort to Maintain the Vitality of the Sundanese Language in Amalgamated Families in Bandung City,” was funded by the Directorate of Learning and Student Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
The PKM topic was motivated by growing concerns about the declining use of the Sundanese language among the community, especially children in Bandung City. The research broadly found that parenting based on cultural values and supported by cultural literacy within amalgamated (Sundanese-Javanese) families in Bandung is effective in maintaining the vitality of the Sundanese language and preserving the number of its speakers, particularly within the family and community. However, public cultural literacy still needs to be strengthened and improved. The research outcomes have been published on the Instagram account @etnoparenting.sunda, in a scientific article currently under journal review, and on a poster at the “BRIN Goes to Campus: Unpad Creators and Innovators” event.
Shelpi’s team included students from various disciplines: Ikmalludin (Cultural Studies), Henhen Hendayani (Cultural Studies), Salman Ramdan Rachman (Social and Political Sciences), and Salsabil Qodrunnada (Law). Their supervising lecturer was Dr. Taufik Ampera, M.Hum., from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. This team was one of 3,500 projects to receive funding out of a total of 43,000 proposals submitted. The team, along with 50 other teams (from various fields) at Universitas Padjadjaran, regularly reported their progress to the supervising lecturer and university-level reviewers. Over four months, the team conducted research, managed a social media account for research dissemination, maintained activity logs, and reported on the use of funds.
Shelpi expressed her satisfaction with participating in the PKM. She and her team gained numerous benefits, honed their soft skills, and deepened their interest in cultural research. This experience aligns with the cultural documentation coursework in her Library and Information Science program. Through the PKM, Shelpi learned to deepen her knowledge of cultural documentation by conducting direct cultural research within the community. (Author: Shelpi Nur Awaliyah)
