CLASSROOM AS A MEDIUM TO DEVELOP CHARACTER VALUES

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers’ classroom instructional process in disseminating good values for students. The values were evaluated in the development of religious characters, nationalist characters, productive characters and creative characters. The evaluation was done by observing visible changes of behaviours and how students have accepted the values. The survey method was used in this study to analyse the level of students’ acceptance towards the implementation of Nation Character Education in the classroom and teachers’ perspective on how students practise the nation character based on students’ behaviours. Simple random technique was used to determine the school samples from the whole population of 36 secondary schools in Pekanbaru, Riau Indonesia. All items to test the implementation of nation character in the classroom were at the modest/satisfactory and high level. The item which recorded the highest mean score was students’ readiness to adhere rules whether in or outside the school. Findings showed that students are willing to work together as a team and teachers have successfully built students’ productive characters by promoting leadership skills, instructing skills and students have performed well by accomplishing the task given to them. Teachers have used various elements to develop character values among students, and the indication of positive results was shown by students better behaviours. Teachers can play a positive role by stimulating students’ thinking especially by stimulating curiosity among them. Hence, inquiry technique was used by teachers to introduce religious, nationalist, productive and creative characters to their students.

Keywords: character education, a chain of moral values, religious characters, nationalist characters, productive characters and creative characters