TEACHERS’ MEANINGS OF CHARACTER EDUCATION IN INDONESIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Character education has become an essential concern in schools, particularly in relation to teachers’ roles in shaping students’ values and attitudes. This study aims to explore teachers’ meanings of character education in Indonesian elementary schools. Using a qualitative exploratory approach, the study involved three elementary school teachers in Purwokerto who were selected purposively based on their teaching experience and involvement in student development. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña including data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that teachers understand character education as a moral responsibility inherent in their professional roles. Character education is perceived not merely as a formal program but as a practice embedded in daily school life, manifested through teachers’ conduct, interactions, and relationships with students. Teachers also emphasize the importance of role modelling and relational interactions as key spaces for character formation. At the same time, they recognize various limitations and challenges, particularly the influence of family background and external social environments, which shape students’ character beyond the school context. Overall, the study highlights that character education, from teachers’ perspectives, is a contextual and relational process grounded in everyday professional practice. Understanding teachers’ meanings of character education provides valuable insights for developing more realistic and context sensitive approaches to character education in elementary schools.

Keywords: Character Education, Elementary Schools, Moral Responsibility, Teachers’ Perspectives