Neglected values: civic disposition in junior high civic education during the pandemic

Abstract

This study describes teachers’ neglect vis-à-vis building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning in junior high schools during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Employing a mixed methods approach, the research focuses on civic education teachers in junior high schools in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Data collection involved surveys, focus group discussions, interviews, and documentation, subsequently analyzed through descriptive statistical and qualitative methods. The findings highlight three primary facets. First, the teachers did not conduct the students’ civic disposition building in civic education learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically based on the lesson plan, implementation, and assessment, which are inappropriate for values-based education; second, the factors that contribute to such neglect are teachers’ inadequate competencies, online learning, and the assessment system that focuses on cognitive learning outcomes; third, teachers’ neglect has implications for the building of student character, the existence of civic education as values-based education, and the obstruction of the national-character-building program.

Keywords:

• Civic education
• values learning
• civic disposition
• teacher’s role
• COVID-19 pandemic

Reviewing Editor:

• John Lee
• Education University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong
• Hong Kong

Subjects:

• Teacher Education & Training
• Primary Education - Teacher
• Teaching & Learning - Education

1. Introduction

Based on the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Republic of Indonesia Number 24 of 2016 concerning the 2013 curriculum that applies in Indonesia, the formation of social and spiritual attitudes of students is undertaken through indirect teaching, that is, through various student activities at school, either in the implementation of learning in the classroom or other activities outside the classroom. One field of study that is directly related to the formation of student attitudes and character is civic education, with the primary objective of preparing students to become good citizens in the context of knowledge, skills, and civic disposition. Therefore, civic education has become a mandatory field of study for students from elementary to high school.

Civic education is a value-based concept that demands teachers’ competence to conduct value learning appropriately in terms of planning, implementing, and assessing student learning. It has not been implemented optimally in schools. The inculcation of values imposed on civic education studies so far still places much emphasis on the cognitive aspect; thus, it does not support the effective development of students (Nuswantari, 2018). The neglect of the affective dimension in learning also occurs in other countries. For example, as reported, Ireland’s learning process was also more focused on and oriented to the transfer of knowledge, use of textbooks, and learners’ high achievement in the final exam (Gilleece et al., 2009). Moreover, Pierre and Oughton (2007) illustrate the affective domain as an undiscovered country that is not widely processed and tends to be neglected.

The neglect of affective aspects is caused by various factors, such as not only the competence of teachers in conducting curriculum analysis and formulating attitude indicators but also the lack of monitoring and evaluation related to the substance of the lesson plans by the authorities. Conversely, lesson plan monitoring and evaluation are mainly used to fulfill administrative requirements. Therefore, teachers tend to use lesson plans prepared by the Association of Civic Education Subject Teachers or downloaded from the Internet, and they are not motivated to design lesson plans further in line with the demands of essential affective competencies. Octaviani (2018) and Wening (2012) also found that teachers had difficulty in formulating the attitude learning goals expected by the curriculum and compiling lesson plans; thus, teachers copied and pasted the existing lesson plans with slight adjustments. Besides the limitations of teachers in designing good lesson plans, the limited use of information technology, use of learning resources, and limited time available for civic education subjects are also notable (Sayektiningsih et al., 2017).

Without well-developed lesson plans, affective learning cannot be carried out correctly in every stage of learning, starting from preliminary, core, and closing activities, as well as in the assessment aspect. Therefore, civic education learning in the classrooms before the pandemic had been unable to duly develop civic disposition. The development of civic disposition before the pandemic was only conducted indirectly through various routine school activities such as flag ceremonies, mutual cooperation, and so on. Thus, the implementation of civic education learning conducted directly in schools has not been following learning values, as stated; learning civic education not only provides knowledge to students but also develops civic attitudes and values that will increase the active participation of students both in school and in society.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the shaping of students’ civic disposition teachers in civics learning in schools has been increasingly neglected. This is because online learning causes minimal teacher and student interactions, making it difficult for teachers to realize learning goals, while primarily developing and forming student civic dispositions, which are essential in civic education learning. Thus, the existence of civic education as a value system can also be questioned. In addition, activities that involve students in schools in non-teaching activities are not undertaken. Therefore, learning only focuses on transferring knowledge and skills to students and ignores the transfer of values, which is the essence of civic education learning. Moreover, the learning applications used during the COVID-19 pandemic were only adopted to explain cognitive learning materials (Suyahman et al., 2021).

Previous studies on building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning have tended to explore two objects. First, the studies investigated the process of building students’ civic disposition as a result of the students’ civic skills and civic knowledge development (Lonto, 2019; Lonto & Pangalila, 2019; Odusanya & Oni, 2019; Riyanti, 2020). Second, the studies investigated the use of specific methods in developing students’ civic disposition (Komalasari, 2009; Komalasari & Sapriya, 2016; Nurfaizah, 2019). These two trends show that developing students’ civic disposition is vital in civic education learning. Nevertheless, the dimensions showing that learning achievement is largely determined by the teacher’s role have not been explored. Teachers are required to not only conduct their conventional duties but also serve as movers, motivators, facilitators, evaluators, and, simultaneously, indicators for the achievement of the educational goals (Delahunty et al., 2014). Therefore, investigating the teacher’s role in learning is highly important.

This paper aims to complement the shortcomings of previous studies on the development of students’ civic disposition, especially from the dimensions of teachers and the situations they face during the pandemic. Thus, this paper intends to, first, reveal the forms of neglect in building students’ civic disposition by teachers in junior high schools, which include the dimensions of planning, implementation, and assessment of learning; second, analyze the factors/conditions that lead to the neglect of building students’ civic disposition by teachers in junior high schools; and third, reveal the implications of neglecting the building of students’ civic disposition by teachers in civic education learning in junior high schools.

The argument underlying the teacher’s neglect in building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning during the COVID-19 pandemic is the gap between the demands for achieving civic education learning goals and the reality in the field. Civic education teachers’ competence as moral values educators has not been fully actualized in implementing their responsibility in the learning process. In addition, the assessment and reporting system focusing more on the student’s knowledge mastery makes teachers prioritize the students’ academic achievement. The limited interaction between students and teachers during the pandemic leads to teachers’ inability to use various strategies to build students’ civic disposition, thus the habituating and exemplary elements are not applied properly.

2. Literature review

2.1. Civic education

Civic education, also known as citizenship education (Martin & Baildon, 2016; Muleya, 2017b, 2017a, 2019), is a primary subject designed to prepare the younger generation to play their role and position as citizens who are aware of their rights and obligations (Dewantara et al., 2019) and play an active role in a democratic society (Campbell, 2019). Civic education is a compulsory subject at every level of education in Indonesia. It entails a national mission to educate the life of the Indonesian people through the corridor of value-based education. Therefore, civic education is programmatically designed as a content-oriented subject that contains values (content embedding values) and promotes learning experiences in the form of various behaviors that need to be actualized in everyday life and become the life guidelines for citizens in the life of society, nation, and state (Winataputra & Budimansyah, 2007).

The competencies that need to be learned in civic education are civic knowledge, civic skills, and civic disposition (Jurs, 2014; Yao, 2017; Zhukova, 2018). Civic knowledge is related to the materials that every citizen needs to know. Civic or citizenship skills are intellectual and participatory skills needed to practice the rights and fulfill the obligations as members of a sovereign society. Civic disposition or the state character relates to public and private characters that are important for maintaining and developing constitutional democracy. These three components are interrelated in realizing good citizens (Hoskins et al., 2015).

2.2. Civic disposition

Civic disposition is an essential component of civic competencies, and it entails the citizens’ conducive attitudes and habits of thinking to function appropriately in a democratic society system, especially regarding the public interest (Quigley & Bahmueller, 1991). Meanwhile, Branson (1998) argues that civic disposition refers to important characteristics in maintaining and developing a democratic constitutional system. These can be private characters, such as moral responsibility, self-discipline, and respect for the dignity and humanness of each individual, and public characters, such as caring as citizens, politeness, heeding the rules of man (the rule of law), critical thinking, as well as willingness to listen, negotiate, and compromise (Feriandi & Harmawati, 2018; Winarno, 2013). Civic disposition is expected to prepare more mature and orderly citizens in society, nation, and state (Sari, 2016).

Branson (2003) states that there are several programs that schools can adopt to develop their students’ civic disposition. Such initiatives include involving the students in civic activities; allowing the students to express their opinions about government, including in intra-school organizations; helping the students to understand how the school system is run, what policies have the most influence on it, and what issues are debated in the community; collaborating with local communities and institutions, including universities; allowing the teachers to develop their professionalism; and incorporating civic mission into every curriculum. Several other strategies for strengthening civic disposition can also be employed, including using living values (Komalasari & Saripudin, 2018) or extracurricular activities (Rahman, 2015). Finally, civic disposition is one aspect of civic education that focuses on citizens’ character.

2.3. Teachers’ role in values-based education

Building students’ civic disposition requires time, effort, and intense involvement of educators, especially at the basic level of education. The 2013 curriculum proportionally stipulates that the lower the level of education, the more significant the portion for the development of the affective domain (Marzano, 1988). Therefore, the role of teachers becomes crucial in guiding, providing direction, setting an example, and creating a conducive situation for building the students’ civic disposition to prepare them to become good citizens (Conway et al., 2009; Pring, 2001).

In values-based education learning, such as civic education learning, the teacher can act as a model who provides the students with examples of how to behave and has a particular disposition. Lumpkin’s research on values-based education revealed that 62% of students significantly imitated and followed the attitudes and behaviors of their teachers. Furthermore, teachers’ roles are explicitly reflected through their attitudes and behaviors in interacting with students in learning. In addition, the teacher’s leadership style is also an essential factor in building the students’ civic disposition (Lunenberg et al., 2007). Furthermore, Nassozi’s (2010) research also shows that the teacher’s leadership has a significant effect on building the students’ discipline. All of these teachers’ roles are part of the competencies that must be possessed by a professional teacher, which can be obtained through education, training, or self-development.

3. Methods

This research focuses on civic education learning in building students’ civic disposition regarding the three dimensions of learning. The first dimension is the lesson plan prepared by the teachers, which includes formulating the indicators of competency achievement, defining the learning objectives, and preparing the learning scenarios. The second dimension is the implementation of learning, which includes the learning materials, learning strategies, and learning media. The third dimension is the evaluation system the teachers apply, including the assessment instruments and methods.

This research used a mixed approach or mixed method to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the object of the study (Leavy, 2017). The sequential exploratory design model was used herein (Creswell, 2014). First, the primary data related to the problem were collected through a survey conducted on all teachers who were the research respondents. Thereafter, the qualitative data were collected through interviews, lesson plan analysis, and focus group discussions (FGDs) attended by 20 teachers and administrators of the Association of Civic Education Subject Teachers (MGMP) at the junior high school level in Padang.

This study’s participants were teachers who taught the civic education subject in public junior high schools in Padang. There were 43 public junior high schools with 112 civic education teachers. As respondents, 84 teachers, 60 with civil servant status and 24 with non-civil servant status or honorary teachers, filled out the questionnaire. In terms of teaching experience, there were 47 teachers with more than 10 years of teaching experience, and the other 37 teachers had between 2 and 10 years of teaching experience. For further exploration, nine schools were selected as the research subjects using purposive sampling based on the junior high school rankings in 2020/2021. Notably, 3 schools were selected to represent the top-, middle-, and lower-ranking schools, totaling 20 teachers.

The research commenced by developing instruments that contained open- and closed-ended questions covering the three dimensions of civic education learning and the problems faced by teachers in building students’ civic disposition (Creswell, 2014). Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents were asked to answer the questions provided in the Google Forms. In the next stage, the researcher analyzed the data from the lesson plans used by 20 teachers from 9 different schools using the analysis table the researchers developed. The final stage was discussions and interviews conducted by the researchers through FGDs that were attended by 20 teachers, 6 administrators of the MGMP at the junior high school level in the city of Padang, and 4 members of the research team.

The survey data were tabulated descriptively based on the identified problems and were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis. This analysis grouped the data into three main parts: planning, implementing, and assessing students’ civic disposition building. The data collected from the lesson plans and interviews were analyzed qualitatively. The results of the interview transcripts were comprehensively studied and subsequently codified based on the research problems. The results of the codification were then narrated and interpreted descriptively. Finally, the quantitative and qualitative findings were concluded as the research findings.

4. Result

4.1. Forms of teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition in learning civic education

The results of the survey conducted on 84 teachers regarding teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning are displayed in Table 1.

Table 1. Forms of neglect in building civic disposition.

No	Learning dimensions	Teachers’ responses	Percentage
1	The neglect in learning planning
	Developing the competency achievement indicators of civic disposition	Listed	11.90
	Defining the learning goals of civic disposition	Listed	14.28
	Developing the learning scenario with civic disposition nuances	Listed	11.90
2	The neglect in learning implementation
	Learning resources used by the teachers	1. Textbooks	59.52
		2. Other materials developed by the teachers	9.52
		3. Student worksheet	14.29
		4. Internet	14.29
		5. Others	2.38
	The learning strategies used by the teachers in building the students’ civic disposition	1. Lecture	64.28
		2. Question and answer	20.24
		3. Case study	4.76
		4. Group work	5.96
		5. Others	4.76
	The learning media used by the teachers	1. PowerPoint	60.71
		2. Pictures	14.29
		3. Videos	9.52
		4. Cases	5.96
		5. Others	9.52
3.	The neglect of learning assessment
	The assessment method used by the teachers	1. Observation	57.14
		2. Journal	10.71
		3. Self-assessment	8.33
		4. Others	23.80
	The analysis of the student’s civic disposition assessment	1. Making notes of the students’ civic disposition	19.05
		2. Describing the students’ development	22.62
		3. Discussing the results of the analysis with other teachers	32.14
		4. Others	34.76
	The follow-up of the assessment results	1. Communicating the results to the students	54.76
		2. Communicating the results to the parents	14.28
		3. Applying reward and punishment	20.34
		4. Others	10.71

Table 1 illustrates that teachers who develop lesson plans for civic dispositions are less than 15%, which indicates that teachers’ understanding of the importance of civic dispositions in civic education learning is still low, thus their inclusion in the lesson plans is not urgent. In implementing learning, more than 50% of teachers use textbooks as the primary teaching material and deliver lectures using PowerPoint as the leading media. This shows that implementing learning focuses on the cognitive dimension and ignores other dimensions. In the assessment dimension, it turns out that more than 50% of teachers use observations for civic disposition, the results of which are directly communicated to students. In this case, the teacher observes their interactions through WhatsApp. If the teacher finds a delay in sending the assigned task, the teacher immediately reminds students verbally. However, very few teachers use other assessment methods. The above-stated findings were followed up with an analysis of 20 lesson plan documents used by teachers from 9 schools. Notably, 2 lesson plans included the development of students’ civic disposition on indicators of competency achievement, while the other 18 focused on mastering the cognitive aspect of the material. Then, the formulation of learning objectives for forming students’ civic dispositions is found in one lesson plan. Meanwhile, the preparation of learning scenarios with civic disposition nuances is not visible at all.

The data above show that few teachers include civic disposition in their lesson plans. Meanwhile, in practice, teachers rely on the material contained in the textbook, and only a few teachers add it to other materials developed by themselves or obtained via the Internet. Teachers generally form student civic disposition by lecturing students on how they should behave about something or the problems they face and through messages conveyed through the WhatsApp group. Meanwhile, the assessment of the development of students’ civic disposition is generally conducted by the teacher through observations that are directly communicated to students or through messages on WhatsApp groups. Sometimes teachers also apply rewards and punishments to students who do not comply with the rules that have been made. The results of these observations are generally not described and communicated to colleagues or parents of students but are immediately given a grade.

The non-inclusion of civic disposition as part of the civics learning objectives that students must achieve has made teachers unable to reference how the students will pass the learning experience. Such an omission is evident in the textbook used by the teachers prioritizing the mastery of cognitive materials. Meanwhile, learning experiences that can develop students’ civic disposition, such as analyzing cases in society, are not the concern of most teachers. It has implications for the assessment conducted by the teachers. Owing to the absence of affective learning experiences, the teachers only observe the existing phenomena, such as the negligence by the students in submitting their assignments and in assessing the students’ achievements. Consequently, the assessment conducted by the teachers is limited and unstructured.

1.2. Factors/conditions leading to the teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning

Based on the results of the interviews with the teachers, the factors that cause teachers to neglect to build students’ civic disposition are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2. Factors leading to the neglect in building students’ civic disposition.

No	Causative factors	Teachers’ responses
1	Teacher’s competence	a. The teacher does not prepare his/her lesson plan but uses lesson plans composed by the teacher’s association or from the Internet.
		b. The teacher finds it difficult to interpret the essential competencies into the indicators of civic disposition.
		c. The teacher finds it difficult to develop the learning scenario with civic disposition nuances.
		d. The attitudes that become the reference are the social and spiritual attitudes listed in the core competencies.
		e. The teacher finds it difficult to develop the assessment tools for civic disposition.
2	Online learning	a. Limited interaction between the teacher and the students.
		b. The WhatsApp group is the primary communication tool between the teacher and the students.
		c. The teacher finds it difficult to observe the students’ attitudes.
		d. Not all students have Android phones.
		e. Network reception problems also become obstacles.
3	Assessment focus	a. The curriculum targets have been achieved despite the pandemic.
		b. The student grades must be submitted based on the academic calendar.
		c. The quantitative value of knowledge is the priority.

The teacher competence factor is one that leads to the neglecting of the formation of student civic disposition. As stated by the teacher during the interview, ‘We did not prepare the lesson plans for ourselves but used the lesson plans that had been formulated by the MGMP or downloaded directly from the Internet’. This is done because teachers experience difficulties in translating essential competencies in the curriculum into civic disposition indicators relevant to the material or topic being discussed. Besides that, the teacher also said it was challenging to arrange learning scenarios with civic disposition nuances. Likewise, the development of the assessment instrument for civic disposition is poorly understood, so a planned and appropriate civic disposition assessment is not conducted. The results of this interview illustrate that civic education as value system is not well understood by teachers; thus, the learning process takes place as other fields of study. Indeed, lesson plans are essential for their job, but the contents are not monitored, whether appropriate or not, so teachers do not feel the need to duly compile the lesson plans by themselves.

The second factor is online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting the interaction between teachers and students, especially only through WhatsApp groups; therefore, it is difficult for teachers to trust students’ honesty in attempting the assignments given. Teachers from somewhat remote schools experience difficulties in learning because not all students have cell phones, and access to signals in schools is inadequate. Thus, learning occurs regardless of students’ civic disposition. The third factor focuses on assessing the cognitive aspect as evidence that teachers can complete the curriculum targets per the existing educational calendar. The teacher’s ability to complete curriculum targets and input student learning outcomes on time causes the formation of civic disposition to be neglected.

The data relating to the teachers’ competence show that the teacher’s ability to plan the learning of civic competence needs to be improved, forcing teachers to conduct the learning focused on mastering cognitive aspects with the predetermined learning resources. Besides, their lack of competence makes them unable to find solutions due to their limited interaction with students during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby the learning process occurs online. The teachers only conduct their teaching and administrative duties regularly to meet the demands of the school. So, students’ grades in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects they submit to the school are not obtained from the desired procedure.

1.3. Implications of teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Teachers’ neglect in building the students’ civic disposition in civic education learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic can have implications for students, civic education itself, and the nation’s character building. The results of the interviews are presented in Table 3.

Table 3. Implications of the neglect in building students’ civic disposition.

No	Implications	Teachers’ responses
1	The student’s citizenship attitudes and characters are not built.	a. The students feel bored and unmotivated to learn.
		b. The student’s concern for the teacher’s instruction is low.
		c. Only 8 out of 200 students replied to their teachers’ greetings.
		d. The teacher doubts the students’ honesty in their work.
		e. Many students did not do their assignments, or they did their assignments carelessly.
		f. The students’ attitude development is incidental and depends on the problems they encounter.
2.	Civic education fails to play its role as the value of education	a. The main target is completing the curriculum and cognitive mastery of the materials.
		b. Assessment of the student’s test results is prioritized, monitored, and evaluated at school.
		c. The attitude and character development are not well-planned and do not follow the provisions of values education.
3	The nation character-building program is neglected	a. During the pandemic, the teachers did not conduct civic disposition building.
		b. The parents are more responsible for the student’s character and attitude building.
		c. Formal, planned, and measurable civic disposition building in formal educational institutions cannot be conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the data presented above, it can be seen that the neglect of the formation of students’ civic disposition in civics learning has implications for the attitudes and character of students who tend not to care and are motivated to learn. Furthermore, they also do not show respect and courtesy toward teachers, are less honest, and tend to be irresponsible toward their obligations as students. This neglect also has implications for the civics field, which cannot perform its function as a field of study that contains values because its implementation prioritizes the mastery of cognitive material. In the long term, neglecting the formation of students’ civic disposition has implications for efforts to build national character, especially in educating citizens who are honest, caring, polite, disciplined, and responsible, both to themselves and to their community, nation, and country.

The absence of a civic disposition in civics learning, such as students who are not concerned about several issues, shows that the field of civics studies, which carries out the national mission to shape civic character, has not been able to function as it should. Furthermore, various events in Indonesia, such as fights between gangs of young people, involvement in the use and marketing of drugs, and the inability to accept differences in society, show that efforts to build the nation’s character have not been successful.

5. Discussion

Prior to the pandemic, the development of civic disposition in students in civics learning had not received the same attention as aspects of knowledge and skills. The neglect of civic disposition occurred because the competence of teachers was not maximized in developing value learning. Meanwhile, the demands of the teacher’s obligations were focused more on administrative matters. The neglect of value learning is worsening during the pandemic because learning occurs online.

The research results show that there has been a neglect in building students’ civic disposition in the civic education learning conducted by the teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This neglect is found in the three dimensions of learning, namely, learning planning, learning implementation, and teacher assessment processes, which are not yet appropriate for developing students’ civic disposition. The neglect is caused by the teachers’ less qualified competence in the learning process of values-based education, the online learning mode that reduces teacher–student interaction, and the focus of assessment on the cognitive aspects. Furthermore, this neglect has implications for the unexpected process of building student character conducted by teachers. Besides, it has implications for teachers’ failure to maintain the existence of civic education as a values-based system, which obstructs the national-character-building program.

Teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that teachers’ professionalism is facing challenges, especially in implementing values-based education. As proposed by Branson (2003), implementing the civic disposition development strategy is challenging due to the limited teacher–student interaction and teachers’ limited access to technology. The challenges in carrying out values-based education can be overcome if the teachers can use various application methods and approaches (Anggraini et al., 2013; Komalasari & Sapriya, 2018; Komalasari & Saripudin, 2018). However, this research finds that a minimal number of teachers have such competence. Thornberg’s (2008) findings also showed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of professionalism of teachers in the implementation of values education was also not maximized (Thornberg, 2008; Thornberg & Oğ Uz, 2013). Therefore, the difficulties encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic increasingly led to teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition (El Rizaq & Sarmini, 2021).

The findings of this research show that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted formal education in schools. Online learning has caused many problems for students and teachers (Sihombing & Fatra, 2021). The problems are not only related to technology use but also poised to change teachers’ conception of how learning should be conducted. Civic education, which substantively entails values-based education, cannot be implemented righteously. Teachers’ creativity and innovation are needed to overcome the obstacles encountered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, like people in other professions, teachers are faced with conditions that have never been experienced before, so they also do not have the mental readiness to adapt to the existing learning conditions. Consequently, comprehensively achieving the curriculum objectives is challenging (Hoskins et al., 2015). Teaching students holistically, which covers knowledge, skills, and attitudes or character, is the responsibility teachers must undertake (O’Flaherty & McCormack, 2019). This research also reveals that teachers’ professionalism is still not as expected, and their mindset still refers to traditional learning. Furthermore, neglecting civic disposition building will result in losing opportunities to build the character the students need as citizens of society, nation, and state (Conway et al., 2009).

The research findings have implications for school policies, especially on the applicable learning evaluation system. The teachers’ obligation to report the students’ quantitative learning outcomes timely may lead to their ignorance regarding the submission of the students’ excellent and reliable grades because the submitted grades do not emanate from the right assessment processes and methods, especially in evaluating students’ attitudes and characters. The focus of assessment on only the cognitive aspects can make the students think that academic achievement is more important than good character. Meanwhile, many studies reveal that a person’s success is more determined by the excellent character he/she has (Park & Peterson, 2009). The research findings also have implications for the learning monitoring and evaluation system, which should be administrative and substantive. The comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the learning implementation will be able to restore the existence of civic education as the school subject that carries out a national mandate to make the students become good citizens and contribute to the national-character-building program based on the Pancasila values proclaimed by the government (Dewantara et al., 2019; Nurdin, 2015).

This study’s findings align with those of Wardhani and Fitriasari (2021) vis-à-vis dilemmas in online learning. They argue that parents’ responsibility for building students’ civic disposition becomes more difficult because of the limited interrelation between not only teachers and students but also teachers and parents. Moreover, Handayani and Gafur (2020) state that the level of professionalism of civic education teachers has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the demands on the use of technology in online learning. The two studies above indicate that teachers encounter many obstacles in civic education learning, especially in building their students’ civic disposition. Meanwhile, this study reveals the problems, factors, and implications of teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition in civic education learning.

As stated above, teachers face many obstacles in fostering the civic disposition of students both before and during the pandemic, especially with regard to online learning. Optimally overcoming these problems is not easy, even after the pandemic, because carrying out civic disposition with students demands optimal teacher strategies and creativity. However, supposing learning has been conducted face-to-face, in such a case, teachers can foster civic disposition through indirect teaching, namely, through the interaction of students and teachers both in and outside the classroom and through habituation at school, such as getting used to discipline, maintaining cleanliness, and so on. Therefore, the weaknesses in planning, implementing, and assessing learning can be reduced.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced various countries and educational institutions to find solutions to implementing online learning that corresponds to the goals that have been defined. Research suggests that teacher professionalism needs to be reconceptualized to adapt to the existing situation. The same idea is also expressed by Campbell (2020), who argues that reviewing the emphasis on professional collaboration between the parties involved will not only open up opportunities to overcome the learning problems during the COVID-19 pandemic but also engender other problems related to the education system that reflects the context of global society (Campbell, 2020; Seider, 2012; Struyven et al., 2010). For this reason, the revitalization of civic education as values-based education in schools needs to be conducted, and this can be initiated by improving the teachers’ competence and professionalism, including the mastery of technology for online learning, skills in analyzing curriculum as the learning reference, understanding of observable and assessable civic competency indicators, and ability to provide learning experiences about values to students following the character of values-based education. Consequently, effective collaboration between teachers through the MGMP is needed. In addition, the concern and participation of the education office as stakeholders and the university as the institution that educates prospective teachers are also needed (Hargreaves & O’Connor, 2018).

After the COVID-19 pandemic eased, the government determined that learning in schools would be conducted face-to-face. Barriers to coaching and strengthening civic disposition, as occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be overcome by teachers. This makes it possible for interactions between not only teachers and students but also students and students, which can take place naturally. Teachers can again provide reinforcement of civic disposition to students through constant modeling and habituation. Thus, direct interaction between teachers and students is the main key in developing civic disposition.

Currently, the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Education and Culture, together with teacher educators is carrying out teacher professional education activities for teachers who have taught for a certain period, including civic education teachers in junior and senior high schools (Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture No. 38 of 2020). Through various activities in this program, teachers are trained to conduct innovative learning and adapt to situations and developments in science and technology. With this sustainable professional development, it is hoped that teachers in Indonesia can become professional teachers in the future, including in fostering the civic disposition of students.

6. Conclusion

Before the pandemic, the formation of civic disposition by the teacher occurred through non-teaching and classroom activities. In contrast, learning activities in the classroom could not be conducted correctly. Furthermore, this study found that teachers neglected students’ civic disposition building in civic education learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is mainly caused by teachers’ limited competence in finding the right solution to guarantee the continuous process of building students’ civic disposition. The limited teacher–student interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic is factual, but it should not preclude the possibility of conducting effective values-based learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The neglect in building students’ civic disposition can divest civic education of its characteristics as the school subject that carries out the role of values education, which has a long-term impact on the nation’s character building.

The findings related to teachers’ neglect in building students’ civic disposition have revealed two important points. First, implementing values education to build students’ character is challenging without face-to-face learning. This increasingly shows that the strategy to instill values and build students’ character requires the proper method and a systematic, planned, and sustainable effort. Second, the meaning of professional teachers needs to attain a new emphasis, that is, the ability to adapt to the existing learning situations and find creative and innovative solutions to learning. Thus, further research can explore the criteria needed to implement effective values education.

This research is limited to one area and teachers in public schools. Therefore, the conclusions drawn may not reflect the overall situation. The COVID-19 pandemic conditions that limit people’s mobility and interaction make it impossible for researchers to collect data through direct observations at schools. Thus, the results of this research cannot be used as a reference for a broader scale but can be followed up with research covering more complex aspects of civic disposition.

Acknowledgements

Award to Universitas Negeri Padang for providing DIPA funding for research. The UNP research institute provides facilities to carry out research. Reviewer to review proposals and research results. Principals and teachers of junior high schools in the city of Padang are the research locations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Negeri Padang.

Notes on contributors

Maria Montessori

The main author of this article, Maria Montessori, is a lecturer at the civic education department at Universitas Negeri Padang with a major interest in research on teaching strategies for civic education subjects. Meanwhile, Junaidi Indrawadi and Fatmariza are also lecturers in the same department and have a lot of research in the field of Education regarding curriculum and values of education. Monica Tiara is a Ph.D. student involved in research data collection. Ambiyar and Syaiful Islami are also lecturers that have a research interest in the field of evaluation in education. This research is related to the development of the affective domain in education that tends to be neglected not only in Indonesia but also in other countries. There are even researchers who say that research in the affective field is an undiscovered country. Therefore, this research can contribute to the issue of the affective domain in the field of Education.

Fatmariza

The main author of this article, Maria Montessori, is a lecturer at the civic education department at Universitas Negeri Padang with a major interest in research on teaching strategies for civic education subjects. Meanwhile, Junaidi Indrawadi and Fatmariza are also lecturers in the same department and have a lot of research in the field of Education regarding curriculum and values of education. Monica Tiara is a Ph.D. student involved in research data collection. Ambiyar and Syaiful Islami are also lecturers that have a research interest in the field of evaluation in education. This research is related to the development of the affective domain in education that tends to be neglected not only in Indonesia but also in other countries. There are even researchers who say that research in the affective field is an undiscovered country. Therefore, this research can contribute to the issue of the affective domain in the field of Education.

Junaidi Indrawadi

The main author of this article, Maria Montessori, is a lecturer at the civic education department at Universitas Negeri Padang with a major interest in research on teaching strategies for civic education subjects. Meanwhile, Junaidi Indrawadi and Fatmariza are also lecturers in the same department and have a lot of research in the field of Education regarding curriculum and values of education. Monica Tiara is a Ph.D. student involved in research data collection. Ambiyar and Syaiful Islami are also lecturers that have a research interest in the field of evaluation in education. This research is related to the development of the affective domain in education that tends to be neglected not only in Indonesia but also in other countries. There are even researchers who say that research in the affective field is an undiscovered country. Therefore, this research can contribute to the issue of the affective domain in the field of Education.

Ambiyar

The main author of this article, Maria Montessori, is a lecturer at the civic education department at Universitas Negeri Padang with a major interest in research on teaching strategies for civic education subjects. Meanwhile, Junaidi Indrawadi and Fatmariza are also lecturers in the same department and have a lot of research in the field of Education regarding curriculum and values of education. Monica Tiara is a Ph.D. student involved in research data collection. Ambiyar and Syaiful Islami are also lecturers that have a research interest in the field of evaluation in education. This research is related to the development of the affective domain in education that tends to be neglected not only in Indonesia but also in other countries. There are even researchers who say that research in the affective field is an undiscovered country. Therefore, this research can contribute to the issue of the affective domain in the field of Education.

Monica Tiara

The main author of this article, Maria Montessori, is a lecturer at the civic education department at Universitas Negeri Padang with a major interest in research on teaching strategies for civic education subjects. Meanwhile, Junaidi Indrawadi and Fatmariza are also lecturers in the same department and have a lot of research in the field of Education regarding curriculum and values of education. Monica Tiara is a Ph.D. student involved in research data collection. Ambiyar and Syaiful Islami are also lecturers that have a research interest in the field of evaluation in education. This research is related to the development of the affective domain in education that tends to be neglected not only in Indonesia but also in other countries. There are even researchers who say that research in the affective field is an undiscovered country. Therefore, this research can contribute to the issue of the affective domain in the field of Education.

Syaiful Islami

The main author of this article, Maria Montessori, is a lecturer at the civic education department at Universitas Negeri Padang with a major interest in research on teaching strategies for civic education subjects. Meanwhile, Junaidi Indrawadi and Fatmariza are also lecturers in the same department and have a lot of research in the field of Education regarding curriculum and values of education. Monica Tiara is a Ph.D. student involved in research data collection. Ambiyar and Syaiful Islami are also lecturers that have a research interest in the field of evaluation in education. This research is related to the development of the affective domain in education that tends to be neglected not only in Indonesia but also in other countries. There are even researchers who say that research in the affective field is an undiscovered country. Therefore, this research can contribute to the issue of the affective domain in the field of Education.