Ethno Digital Curriculum for Vocabulary Scaffolding in Indonesian Early Childhood Education

The proliferation of digital technology in early childhood education often exacerbates cultural alienation due to the dominance of Western-centric content. This study aims to construct an "Ethno-Digital Game" model that leverages indigenous kinetic memories to stimulate vocabulary acquisition among early childhood learners. Merit: Addressing the "cultural blindness" in existing educational applications, this research contributes a novel framework for decolonizing digital literacy, proving that technological advancement need not come at the cost of cultural identity. Method: Adopting a Constructivist Grounded Theory design, the research utilized the reengineering of traditional Bugis games (Dende-dende and Maggasing) into a mobile interface as the primary intervention tool. Procedures: Data were gathered through iterative naturalistic observations of 20 "digital native" children and in-depth interviews with educators and cultural experts in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding to generate a substantive theory. Results: The analysis yielded three key findings: (1) Kinetic-Linguistic Mapping, where digital gestures anchor vocabulary recall through embodied cognition; (2) Triadic Scaffolding, which utilizes local cultural narratives to significantly lower the affective filter; and (3) the emergent theory of Ethno-Linguistic Resonance, positing that alignment between digital mechanics and cultural memory accelerates linguistic processing. Implications: The study concludes that "cultural mechanics" are vital variables in algorithm design. It offers a transferable framework for educators and developers globally to transform passive screen time into culturally situated learning, mitigating heritage language loss in the digital age.