Implementation of Character Education Policy at State Islamic University of Datokarama Palu, Indonesia

Abstract

The implementation of education in education has become one of the essential policies in universities in Indonesia in order to respond to moral decadence among the young generation today, especially students as an intellectual generation. The policy aims to integrate character values in the world of education in order to graduate a generation that not only has high-quality knowledge and skills but also has good character values. The implementation of character education has been carried out in various ways according to the characteristics of each university, but research related to the implementation of character education policies in universities is still very limited, especially in Islamic universities. For this reason, this study aims to analyze and explain the policy of implementing character education in an Islamic state university, namely the Datokarama State Islamic University of Palu. In examining the implementation of this character education policy, the researcher uses the theory of George C. Edward III (2010) as a construct in data collection. The theory focuses on four factors for implementing a policy's success: communication, resources, disposition, and bureaucratic structure. This study uses a qualitative method. The data for this study were collected using direct observation techniques, in-depth interviews, and analysis of various documents related to the implementation of character education policies. State Islamic University of Datokarama Palu. In-depth interviews involving seven informants from the leadership level of UIN Datokarama Palu. The data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman (2003). The study results showed that only three factors were quite effective in implementing the Character Education policy, namely communication factors, disposition, and bureaucratic structure. Meanwhile, the resource factor tends to be less effective because of the four resource elements studied, two elements were ineffective, namely the lack of staff. Likewise, facilities still do not support the implementation of the character education policy. The cause of the lack of human resources is the limited allocation of new teaching staff from central government and the occurrence of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and liquefaction in 2018, which damaged the infrastructure of the State Islamic University of Datokarama Palu. The novelty of this study is the discovery of the phenomenon that the implementation of the character education policy is not only seen as the implementation of the main tasks of the university but is also interpreted as a form of worship that can be a source of charity. In other words, the policy of implementing character education is also considered part of the manifestation of religious, spiritual values because it can prevent evil from occurring.