Moral and social development analysis of sixth-grade students: Insights from an Indonesian Islamic primary school
Corresponding email: [email protected]
A B S T R A C T
This study investigates the moral and social development of 6th-grade students at Al-Quba Islamic Primary School using a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative data. The purpose of this research is to examine how students internalize and apply moral values in their daily interactions within an Islamic educational setting. The qualitative data were derived from semi-structured interviews with a Grade 6 teacher, while the quantitative data were gathered through a structured questionnaire administered to 28 students. The questionnaire was designed to assess students’ adherence to values such as honesty, responsibility, altruism, discipline, humility, tolerance, inclusion, friendship, empathy and mediation. The results indicate that empathy (M = 2.96) and friendship (M = 2.89) were the most strongly upheld values, whereas humility received the lowest mean score (M = 2.43). This suggests that students exhibit strong social connections and compassion but may struggle with self-reflection and conflict resolution. The qualitative findings further reveal that teachers primarily assess students’ moral and social behavior through classroom activities, emphasizing honesty and empathy, while values such as respect for differing opinions and cooperation were less emphasized. Feedback mechanisms, including classroom discussions and parent-teacher meetings, were instrumental in guiding students’ moral development. However, challenges such as inconsistent adherence to school rules and varying levels of environmental awareness were noted. These insights contribute to the growing body of research on character education and its critical role in fostering students’ overall development.