Civics Education Learning and Discipline Character of Fifth-Grade Elementary School Students: A Correlational Study

Fintje Oppier; Samuel P. Ritiauw; Lisye Salamor

doi:10.51574/ijrer.v5i3.4859

Authors

Fintje Oppier Department of Elementary School Teacher Education, Universitas Pattimura
Samuel P. Ritiauw Department of Elementary School Teacher Education, Universitas Pattimura
Lisye Salamor Department of Elementary School Teacher Education, Universitas Pattimura

Keywords:

Character Education, Civics Education, Correlational Study, Discipline Character, Elementary School

Abstract

Discipline character is a cornerstone of Indonesia’s national character education policy, yet empirical evidence linking Civics Education (Pendidikan Pancasila dan Kewarganegaraan/PPKn) to disciplinary outcomes in elementary schools remains scarce. This study examined the relationship between PPKn learning and fifth-grade students' discipline character at Elementary School Eri, Indonesia, during the 2024/2025 academic year, quantifying its specific contribution. Utilizing a quantitative correlational design, a total sampling approach was applied to the entire population of 21 fifth-grade students. Data were gathered through validated four-point Likert-scale questionnaires measuring perceived PPKn quality and disciplinary behavior and subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson product-moment correlation. Results indicated that both PPKn learning (M = 81.43, SD = 7.41) and discipline character (M = 83.29, SD = 3.66) were categorized as high. A moderate, positive correlation was observed (r = 0.4229); however, the r-count value fell marginally below the critical r-table threshold (0.433) at α = 0.05, retaining the null hypothesis. The coefficient of determination (R²) revealed that PPKn learning accounts for 17.88% of the variance in discipline character. Although statistically non-significant, the moderate association demonstrates that civics education provides a meaningful, albeit partial, contribution to character formation. The remaining variance points to external factors like family and peers, underscoring the need for ecosystem-based character education strategies and larger-scale replication studies.

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