Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) has reaffirmed its commitment to internationalizing the Indonesian language through an overseas Community Service Program (PkM). The UNY PkM team held a program titled “Vocabulary Training through Traditional Games for BIPA Learners at USSH and HANU, Vietnam” at two partner universities, namely the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) and Hanoi University (HANU), Vietnam.
The program was led by Dr. Ari Kusmiatun, M.Pd., with team members Prof. Dr. Drs. Kastam Syamsi, M.Ed., Mia Awaliyah, M.Pd., Fitria Wiyarti Nindyaningrum, M.Pd., and Fathul Hidayati, M.Pd. The program was part of the implementation of the three pillars of higher education and supported UNY’s Main Performance Indicator (IKU) 3, which aims to increase lecturers’ activities beyond campus through international academic collaboration. Through this community service program, UNY lecturers not only carried out knowledge transfer at overseas partner universities, but also strengthened international cooperation networks while promoting Indonesian language and culture among academic communities in Asia.
Indonesian for Foreign Speakers, or BIPA, is one of Indonesia’s strategic instruments of cultural diplomacy. Through the PkM program, the UNY team introduced a learning innovation that integrated vocabulary mastery with Indonesian traditional games, allowing international students to learn the language not only as a means of communication but also as a way to understand culture contextually. The activity began with the introduction of basic vocabulary, including numbers, directions, verbs, adjectives, and money-related terms, using a communicative approach that emphasized pronunciation before writing. After mastering the basic vocabulary, students practiced using it through Indonesian traditional games, namely lompat tali karet or rubber band jump rope, dakon, and bola bekel. In small groups, participants used simple Indonesian instructions and expressions while playing, making the learning process more interactive and meaningful.
Head of the PkM team, Dr. Ari Kusmiatun, M.Pd., explained that traditional games were chosen because they can create communicative language learning while introducing the richness of Indonesian culture. Participants’ enthusiasm was reflected in their active involvement throughout the activity, while reflections from HANU and USSH students showed that the method increased their interest in learning Indonesian language and culture.
Through this program, UNY once again affirmed its commitment to supporting the internationalization of Indonesian while strengthening Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy in Asia. The synergy between language learning, the use of digital technology, and the introduction of traditional games not only created an enjoyable learning experience, but also served as an implementation of UNY’s IKU 3 through international collaboration with tangible impact for the global academic community. The program is also expected to become a model for innovative BIPA learning in the future.
