An Analysis of Character Values in Civic Education Textbook for Junior High School Student

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to discuss the character values in civic education textbooks for junior high school students in Indonesia. The eighth-grade textbook is on the research focus, especially in the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika concept. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) means we are many kinds, but we are one. The differences make Indonesian people are vulnerable to social conflicts. Therefore, it is very important to understand and promote ways in which can contribute to building up of unity. From the concept, the "Ministry of Education and Culture" develops national character values through textbooks which are used as a source of learning. The research is based on qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through observation and document study. Data analysis use interactive analysis from Miles and Huberman. The study shows that the textbook contains 18 (eighteen) national character values following the purpose of civic education in the national curriculum. They are "honest, religious, discipline, tolerance, independent, hard work, creative, democratic, curiosity, the spirit of nationalism, love of the country, appreciate achievement, friendly/ communicative, peace of mind, fond of reading, environmental care, social health, and responsibility". In practice, the teacher should optimize by giving a model or example through habituation activities, involving students in learning, and implement the values of character obtained in daily life.

Literature for Character Building: What to Teach and How According to Recent Research

“…Online Short Stories is an excellent medium that can be used in the classroom since it contains images, sound, and quizzes (Syafii, 2018). Using literary texts as reading material can engage and motivate the students to read more while instilling character values entertainingly (Agustin et al, 2020;Muassomah et al, 2020).…”

“…Unsriana & Ningrum (2018) insist that the Japanese elementary school textbook entitled Watashitachi no Doutoku is instrumental in building characters among children in Japan. On the other hand, Agustin et al (2020) identify various character values in civic education textbooks for junior high school students in Indonesia.…”

“…Indonesian place firm emphasis on religious character because every Indonesian should believe in God (Ministry of National Education, 2010). Thus, many studies aimed at identifying or building religious characters among students (Aghni et al, 2020;Agustin et al, 2020;Amaruddin et al, 2020;Hariyanti & Sudjito, 2018;Muassomah et al, 2020;Novianti, 2017). Religious value is related to the system that regulates the faith and worship of God.…”

“…Literature imitates reality resulting in a reflection of life, which affects the readers as the audience (Abrams, 1999;Blangsinga et al, 2021). Thus, education can also be reflected in literature, and literature can be used to teach character education to the students (Aghni et al, 2020;Agustin et al, 2020;Amaruddin et al, 2020;Istiharoh & Indartono, 2019;Novianti, 2017;Rahmawati & Liliani, 2019). Moreover, in the 21 st Century, the rapid growth of digital technology has rendered it dematerialized, demonetized, and democratized (Diamandis & Kotler, 2012).…”

Career anchors and value orientations as tools for evaluating soft skills of technical university students in the context of digital socialization

“…In turn, recent scientific papers devoted to the study of value orientations among respondents of various categories will be listed below. Thus, Agustin A. et al [15] analyzed the values of the character of Indonesian schoolchildren on the material of a textbook of civic education for elementary school. They identified 18 national values of character.…”