Development of an interactive E module based on Bugis Makassar wedding ethnobotany for plant diversity conservation education

Abstract The preservation of traditional ecological knowledge is increasingly challenged by globalization and widening intergenerational knowledge gaps, while its integration into contemporary digital science education remains limited. This study investigated the transformation of Bugis–Makassar wedding ceremony ethnobotany into interactive digital learning resources to support plant diversity conservation education. The research aimed to document ceremonial plant utilization patterns and to develop culturally responsive educational materials grounded in traditional ecological knowledge. A mixed methods design based research approach was employed, combining ethnobotanical documentation through semi structured interviews with 40 community informants and participant observation of wedding ceremonies, with educational product development using the ADDIE instructional design model. A student needs assessment involved 57 undergraduate biology education students to identify preferences and readiness for digital integration in ethnobotanical learning. The ethnobotanical survey documented 19 plant species from 12 botanical families used across five ceremonial stages, each associated with distinct symbolic meanings linking botanical characteristics to cultural values. The developed Problem Based Learning–Resitasi (PBL R) e module achieved a very high content validity score (99.17%) based on expert evaluation and demonstrated high practical usability (84.92%) based on student testing. These findings indicate that traditional ecological knowledge can be systematically transformed into pedagogically sound digital learning resources while maintaining cultural authenticity. However, this study was limited to the development and validation stages; classroom implementation and evaluation of learning effectiveness were not conducted. Overall, the study offers a replicable and culturally responsive framework for integrating ethnobotanical knowledge into digital science education to support biodiversity conservation and cultural preservation.