Pengenalan Profesi Pawang Gajah menggunakan Media Komik untuk Siswa SMP Introduction to the Elephant Tamer Profession using Comic Media for Middle School Student

Abstract

This community service program is motivated by the limited understanding among middle school students of conservation-related professions, particularly elephant tamers (mahouts), and by the lack of engaging, contextual learning media. The program aims to introduce the mahout profession through an educational comic based on local potential at Way Kambas National Park. A collaborative approach using design thinking and participatory methods was applied, consisting of preparation, media development, implementation, and evaluation stages. The main output was an educational comic titled “Mahout Si Penjaga Gajah,” designed to suit adolescent characteristics. The implementation included collective reading activities, discussions, and educational sessions supported by pretest and posttest assessments. The results indicate an improvement in students’ understanding, with the average score increasing from 6.33 to 6.87, and notable gains in previously weak knowledge areas. Additionally, students’ interest in the topic was relatively high, with an average score of 77%. These findings suggest that comic-based media is an effective alternative educational tool for introducing conservation professions and can serve as contextual teaching material for educators. Therefore, story-based visual media has the potential to enhance both students' understanding and interest in environmental and conservation-related careers.