Students’ Reaction Towards Nation Characters Education and the Impacts on the Practice of Nationalist Characters

Abstract

The study aimed to explore students' reactions on the implementation of Nation Characters Education to inculcate nationalist characters in high schools of Pekanbaru district, Riau, Indonesia. The study focused on students' reactions and their acceptance towards the nationalist elements inculcated by teachers in the classrooms, school programs and co-curriculum activities. This research involved 836 students from 22 secondary schools of Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia. Data was analyzed by conducting descriptive analysis of the mean and percentage, whereas inferential analysis was done through MANOVA and SEM. The study found that students' reaction on the implementation of Nation Characters Education particularly the nationalist elements showed significant differences based on gender. The results also indicated a good level of reactions towards the implementation in the classrooms, school environment and extra-curricular activities. The findings also showed that there was a significant contribution of the National Character Education particularly the elements of the nationalist characters in strengthening nation building. The implications of the study found character and identity buildings among students need practices and proper guidance from teachers to internalize them as a self-image. This finding reveals the importance of integrated and holistic implementation of Nation Character Education across curriculum, through school programs and co-curricular activities.