Student Character Education Through the Digital Literacy Movement at Ma’arif Walisongo Gempol Senior High School

Abstract

While extensive research on digital literacy focuses primarily on technical infrastructure and operational skill acquisition, its explicit integration as an instrument for cultivating moral character and ethical behavior in secondary education remains under-explored. This study investigates how digital literacy initiatives are systematically integrated into Indonesian language instruction to foster students' character education and critical thinking skills in 21st-century learning environments. Employing a descriptive mixed-methods approach, the study was conducted at SMA Ma’arif Walisongo Gempol. Data were gathered through unstructured interviews with language teachers, participant observations, document analysis, and closed-ended Likert-scale questionnaires administered to 30 students. Quantitative data were analyzed using percentage descriptive statistics, while qualitative data underwent reduction, data display, and verification via source triangulation. Findings reveal five effective implementation strategies: (1) editorial text analysis on news portals, where 70% of students mastered information structure while learning to combat hoaxes; (2) digital biography research, resulting in 90% of students identifying and internalizing national figures' exemplary traits; (3) short story analysis via the Gramedia Digital app, enabling 83% of students to connect moral narratives with social empathy; (4) digital editorial discussions, fostering critical thinking and collaboration in 80% of participants; and (5) audio-based biography podcasts via Spotify, yielding the highest engagement with 93% of students demonstrating reflective character analysis. The integration of digital literacy into language pedagogy transcends technical skill acquisition, serving as a powerful vehicle for internalizing core character values such as integrity, critical reflection, responsibility, and empathy, thus supporting national education policy frameworks.