304 e-ISSN: 2980-4108 p-ISSN: 2980-4272 IJBSS
IJEBSS Vol. 1 No. 04, April 2023, pages: 300-307
students' superior character, it also preserves local culture, as a civic virtue practice. Character education needs to
consistently transform into modernization and digitalization to foster the character of students so that they
become intelligent and civilized citizens, so the practice should not be limited to theoretical but also practical,
based on the example of educators and contextual learning, to develop empiricism of students (Jeynes, 2019).
This substance emphasizes that the ethnopedagogical-based character education model to build the superior
character of students becomes a new vision, strategy, and effort in building superior character of elementary
school students because it represents moral character as well as performance character, also explicitly includes
efforts to preserve local culture, as identity, resilience as well as Indonesia's national strength, so that it is
holistic, inclusive, integrative and sustainable.
Basically, the ethnopedagogical-based character education model to build superior character of students
seeks to realize the concept as well as the practice of character education that is inclusive, integrative, and holistic
because it is not limited to realizing efforts to strengthen moral character and performance character, but also
preserving local culture, which has religious, humanist, and empowered values, for the excellence of the
character of elementary school students. Preservation efforts are through the socialization and habituation of local
culture, in a broad sense, so that it is not limited to art but to all aspects of work, creativity, as well as human
initiative, including manners so that it is very helpful in realizing the superior character orientation of students.
The concept and practice of character education in Indonesia need to include the nation's culture and local
wisdom so that there are no imbalances in the vision in the form of citizens who are aspired by the state, with
concrete steps in the form of education policies and the national curriculum (Muhtarom, 2020). This substance
emphasizes the realization of character education in elementary schools and should not only be focused on
Religious Education is also Citizenship Education, but it must also be the responsibility of the task, all subjects in
elementary school because science is actually consistent in transforming goodness, truth, justice and prosperity, it
is necessary to view that science as an integrated part of character education.
The existence of local culture is, of course, seen as important in the ethnopedagogical-based character
education model to build superior character in students because education and culture cannot be separated, so
they must collaborate, in realizing a vision that is based on education as well as character learning, that is,
humanizing humans. This substance makes the concept and practice of character education need to be integrative
because it is not limited to embodying superior character but also preserving local culture, as Indonesia's national
identity, especially young citizens, who have nationalist, socially sensitive, and humanist characteristics, of
course, will also consciously voluntary in preserving local culture, which is not limited to traditions, arts and
local wisdom, but also manners. Character education and culture are integrated with nature, so not only is the
concept of character education based on national culture, but also character education must be able to form
citizens who have the character to preserve the nation's culture in a committed and consistent manner (Fadli,
2021). Integration of character education with ethnopedagogic, in an ethnopedagogical-based character education
model to build superior character of students, of course, accommodates the concept and practice of character
education based on national culture and contains environmental preservation through strengthening the superior
character of students because they have a moral character and performance character, qualified. They can
implement their rights and responsibilities in quality, as well as sustainable manner.
The ethnopedagogical-based character education model for building superior character of elementary
school students is certainly holistic because in addition to realizing inclusiveness in education and character
learning in elementary schools, which are not only focused on subjects of Religious Education and Citizenship
Education, as well as integration of efforts to strengthen superior character and preservation of local culture, is
also strengthened by the example of educators so that it is holistic. Substantively, the practice of character
education and learning in elementary schools must be accompanied by exemplary educators so as not to cause
inequality or anomalies, which make students apathetic towards character education, especially if what is
oriented is superior character, in the form of moral character and performance character, of course, it is
increasingly needed teacher's exemplary. Exemplary educators must accompany the implementation of character
education because, in the practice of character education, students will examine and reflect on the behaviour of
their educators as an objective assessment. The alignment of theory with the character education practices of
educators, of course, will further the success of character education goals (Sutisna et al., 2019). Holistic character
education will overcome the problem of character education, which is merely ceremonial, meaningless, and has
no real impact on strengthening the superior character of students, the reality of competition which is
increasingly open in the era of modernization, digitalization, as well as the industrial revolution 4.0, must be a
logical rationalization in strengthening the role of character education, so that elementary school students, as