Recontextualizing Mandailing Syair Jeir for Culture-Based Learning: Character-Value Understanding among Naposo Nauli Bulung

Abstract

Syair Jeir is a performative Mandailing oral tradition that conveys cultural knowledge and character values, yet its intergenerational transmission is increasingly constrained by limited documentation and the declining number of practitioners capable of performing manjeir. This study aims to analyze the character values represented in five Syair Jeir corpora, recontextualize their textual, vocal, performative, translational, and customary-contextual elements into YouTube-based audiovisual media for culture-based learning, and examine changes in the understanding and responses of Naposo Nauli Bulung after using the media. The study sequentially integrated qualitative and quantitative approaches through interviews, observations, documentation, analysis of five Jeir corpora, and a one-group pretest–posttest design. The data sources comprised three key informants, six Jeir practitioners, and 30 Naposo Nauli Bulung. Five character values were identified: solidarity, cooperation, respect for parents or elders, responsibility, and integrity. The selected corpora were recontextualized into audiovisual media by integrating verse texts, practitioners’ voices, performance videos, translations, and explanations of customary contexts. The mean understanding score increased from 28.47 on the pretest to 34.13 on the posttest. The paired-samples t-test showed a significant difference, t(29) = 6.960, p < .001, with Cohen’s dz = 1.271. Twenty-eight participants (93.3%) showed positive responses, while two participants (6.7%) required a more gradual introduction to Jeir. The findings indicate that digital recontextualization can support culture-based learning by expanding access and improving initial understanding of character values, while the development of performative competence still requires direct learning with practitioners and participation in living customary contexts.