STREET-LEVEL ACTOR DYNAMICS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHARACTER EDUCATION POLICY: THE GAPURA PANCA WALUYA PROGRAM

Lukman Hakim; Muradi; Neneng Yani Yuningsih

doi:10.36526/sosioedukasi.v15i1.7604

Authors

Lukman Hakim Universitas Padjadjaran
Muradi Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
Neneng Yani Yuningsih Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v15i1.7604

Keywords:

Character education, Policy implementation, Program Gapura Panca Waluya, Street-level actors, Street-level bureaucracy

Abstract

Character education constitutes a strategic public policy instrument for strengthening citizenship quality and social resilience. In Indonesia’s decentralized governance system, character education policy is translated into various regional initiatives, including the Gapura Panca Waluya Program in West Java Province. Although normatively formulated by the provincial government, the program’s implementation at the school level demonstrates varying outcomes and practices that do not always reflect its transformative objectives. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of street-level actors in the implementation of the Gapura Panca Waluya Program and to identify structural challenges and patterns of implementation across schools. The research employs a qualitative policy study design based entirely on secondary data. Data were collected from regional policy documents, official government reports, educational evaluation records, and relevant academic literature. Document analysis was conducted to examine policy narratives, actor roles, and the relationship between policy design and school-level practices. The findings reveal that principals and teachers play a central role in interpreting and operationalizing character education policy. However, broad discretionary space, uneven institutional capacity, and evaluation mechanisms emphasizing administrative compliance encourage ceremonial and symbolic implementation patterns. Variations across schools reflect the interaction between local discretion and regional policy design. The study concludes that effective character education policy depends not only on normative clarity but also on coherent policy design, substantive supervision, and sustained capacity strengthening at the school level.

References

Arnott, M., & Menter, I. (2007). The Same but Different? Post-Devolution Regulation and Control in Education in Scotland and England. European Educational Research Journal, 6(3), 250–265. https://doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2007.6.3.250

Bestari, P. (2020). The Essence of Public Policies in Learning for Civic Education. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Civic Education Conference (ACEC 2019). 2nd Annual Civic Education Conference (ACEC 2019), Bandung, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200320.047

Blanco, C. (2019). Higher education policies and question of social (in)equality: Cases of Argentina and Finland. https://doi.org/10.1344/REYD2019.19.29045

de Oliveira, S. E. C., Nakagawa, L., Lopes, G. R., Visentin, J. C., Couto, M., Silva, D. E., d’Albertas, F., Pavani, B. F., Loyola, R., & West, C. (2024). The European Union and United Kingdom’s deforestation-free supply chains regulations: Implications for Brazil. Ecological Economics, 217, 108053. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800923003166

Er-razine, S. (2023). What Moroccan schools can learn from Japanese moral education? The Journal of Quality in Education, 13(22), 81–95. https://doi.org/10.37870/joqie.v13i22.384

Finuliyah, F., Susilo, S., & Saputra, P. M. A. (2023). The Promise of Fiscal Decentralization on the Threat of Poverty Rates in Special Region. Journal of International Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.32535/jicp.v6i3.2489

Guimarães, T. C. D. A., Bernado, E. D. S., & Borde, A. M. (2022a). Street-level Bureaucracy in Teacher Discretionary Power. Educação & Realidade, 47, e110669. https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-6236110669vs02

Guimarães, T. C. D. A., Bernado, E. D. S., & Borde, A. M. (2022b). Street-level Bureaucracy in Teacher Discretionary Power. Educação & Realidade, 47, e110669. https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-6236110669vs02

Halpin, D., Fitz, J., & Power, S. (1991). Local Education Authorities and the Grant-Maintained Schools Policy. Educational Management & Administration, 19(4), 233–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/174114329101900404

Holcombe, S. J., & Kidanemariam Gebru, S. (2022). Agenda setting and socially contentious policies: Ethiopia’s 2005 reform of its law on abortion. Reproductive Health, 19(S1), 218. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01255-z

Iqbal, M., Najmuddin, N., Rizal, M., & Zahriyanti, Z. (2022). Challenges of Implementing Character Education Based on Islamic Values in the Independent Campus Learning Curriculum (MBKM). QALAMUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, dan Agama, 14(1), 757–768. https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v14i1.4839

Jansen, P. S. (2024). Exploring The Effects of English as a Foreign Language on First Language Development of Young Children: The Case of Greece. Development, 12(2), 44–75. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pieter_Jansen4/publication/378180026_Exploring_The_Effects_of_English_as_a_Foreign_Language_on_First_Language_Development_of_Young_Children_The_Case_of_Greece/links/65cc20031bed776ae34f5edb/Exploring-The-Effects-of-English-as-a-Foreign-Language-on-First-Language-Development-of-Young-Children-The-Case-of-Greece.pdf

Jong, M. de. (2019). From Eco-Civilization to City Branding: A Neo-Marxist Perspective of Sustainable Urbanization in China. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/20/5608

Kim, T., & Weiner, J. (2022). Negotiating Incomplete Autonomy: Portraits from Three School Principals. Educational Administration Quarterly, 58(3), 487–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X221080374

Mongkhonvanit, J. (2017). Thailand’s dual education system: A way forward. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 7(2), 155–167. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-09-2016-0067

Ota, M. (2022). Discretionary Operations of Frontline Forest Bureaucrats in Tropical Developing Countries: A Case Study from Java, Indonesia. Forests, 13(7), 1000. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13071000

Prasetia, I., Sulasmi, E., & Susana, S. (2021). The Child-Friendly School Program for Developing a Character School in the Primary Schools of Binjai City, Indonesia. Randwick International of Social Science Journal, 2(4), 575–582. https://doi.org/10.47175/rissj.v2i4.338

Raharjo, P. (2016). Public Service Dynamics in Population Administration Sector: A Study on Electronic ID Card Service in Makassar Indonesia. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology, 6(6), 1040. https://doi.org/10.18517/ijaseit.6.6.1501

Setiawan, A., Tjiptoherijanto, P., Mahi, B. R., & Khoirunurrofik, K. (2022). The Impact of Local Government Capacity on Public Service Delivery: Lessons Learned from Decentralized Indonesia. Economies, 10(12), 323. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies10120323

Taylor, I. (2007). Discretion and Control in Education. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1741143207081063

Trevisan, A. L. (2024). The educational policy of the new Brazilian Common National Curriculum Framework: An Analysis based on Biopolitics. Pro-Posições, 35, e2024c0103BR. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-6248-2022-0065en

Turner, E. O., & Spain, A. K. (2016). The Multiple Meanings of (In)Equity: Remaking School District Tracking Policy in an Era of Budget Cuts and Accountability. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042085916674060

Turner, E. O., & Spain, A. K. (2020). The Multiple Meanings of (In)Equity: Remaking School District Tracking Policy in an Era of Budget Cuts and Accountability. Urban Education, 55(5), 783–812. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916674060

Wenner, J. A., & Settlage, J. (2015). School leader enactments of the structure/agency dialectic via buffering: PRINCIPAL BUFFERING IN SCIENCE-SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 52(4), 503–515. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21212