Re-writing Character: A Narrative Analysis of Moral Development in Modern Educational Settings
Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia 
Malaysia 
Article Sidebar
-
Character Education, Moral Development, Narrative Inquiry
Abstract
Background. Character education in contemporary universities increasingly unfolds through academic pressure, digital interaction, social diversity, and institutional expectations that complicate students’ moral decision-making.
Purpose. This study aimed to explore how university students narrated, interpreted, and reconstructed their moral development within modern educational settings.
Method. A qualitative narrative inquiry involved 24 undergraduate students selected purposively from different academic years and fields of study. Data were collected through semi-structured narrative interviews, reflective writing, and institutional documents, then analyzed by examining temporal sequences, moral conflicts, turning points, relational influences, narrative positioning, and identity reconstruction.
Results. Students rarely described formal moral instruction as the primary source of change; morally difficult experiences became transformative when accompanied by dialogue, meaningful consequences, and opportunities for reflection. Academic dishonesty, peer conflict, organizational failure, digital misconduct, and social exclusion frequently challenged existing self-images and encouraged participants to revise their understanding of responsibility, honesty, empathy, and fairness.
Conclusion. The study concludes that character develops through an unfinished narrative process in which students reinterpret past actions, negotiate present tensions, and imagine more ethical future selves. Universities should therefore integrate reflective, relational, and restorative practices into character education in practice.
Full text article
References
Abaquita, K. K. J. (2026). Constructing the Self in the Midst of Responsibility and Challenges: Narratives of Filipino Generation Z Breadwinners. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 17(1), 245–265. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2026.1.245.265
Aziz, B. I. W. (2025). The Resonant Roots of Pappaseng: Seeking Musical Inspiration from the Film Kuru Sumange. Resital, 26(2), 217–246. https://doi.org/10.24821/resital.v26i2.17137
Beck, R. J. (2024). Evolutionary development of mother–child scaffolding for moral comprehension. Frontiers in Psychology, 15(Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1397547
Chen, J. (2025). Why choose the underpaid classroom? Narrative inquiry into local Chinese language teachers’ career trajectories in Tajikistan’s multilingual ecology. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, (Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51). https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2025.2589353
Cooper, J. M. I. (2026). From Stories to Staying: A Narrative Inquiry into Novice Teacher Professional Identity Development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 176(Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2026.105478
Crawford, F. (2025). Norman Denzin and autoethnography. Qualitative Social Work, 24(5), 563–576. https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250251324998
Eremin, V. (2025). The Armies of the German States and the Austrian Empire Through the Eyes of British Travelers in 1814–1815. Novaya I Novejshaya Istoriya, 69(1), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.31857/S0130386425010076
Gasser, L. (2022). How Do Children Socially Learn from Narrative Fiction: Getting the Lesson, Simulating Social Worlds, or Dialogic Inquiry? Educational Psychology Review, 34(3), 1445–1475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09667-4
Gomez, D. (2026). Cultivating global citizenship through two-way dual language immersion (TWDLI): A qualitative case study using interviews. Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 21(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1386/ctl_00201_1
Gustafson, L. (2022). SCIENCE, RELIGION, AND DEEP TIME. In Science Religion and Deep Time (p. 365). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003256656
Guttesen, K. (2025). Character education through poetic inquiry: Teaching poetry as a means of moral self-cultivation. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 38(2), 128–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/08893675.2024.2380848
Harrison, P. (2023). Normativity and the Critical Functions of Genealogy: The Case of Modern Science1. Modern Theology, 39(4), 682–707. https://doi.org/10.1111/moth.12857
Hejwosz-Gromkowska, D. (2026). Can history textbooks be a source of ‘powerful knowledge’?: The case of Jerzy Popie?uszko in Poland. Knowledge Production Policy and Practice in Education Social Realist Explorations of Curriculum Teaching and Research, (Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003649847-7
Heybach, J. (2024). The Ethical Dimension of Educating Educators: Cruel Optimism, Professional Development, and the Need for New Ethical Attachments. Cambridge Handbook of Ethics and Education, (Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51), 571–592.
Josselson, R. (2023). Developing a different voice: The life and work of Carol Gilligan. Journal of Personality, 91(1), 120–133. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12763
Keinonen, T. (2024). The Ethics of Design for User Needs. In Ethics of Design for User Needs (p. 166). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003427148
Langford, P. (2026). From Textual Hermeneutics to Law: The Genesis and Development of Law and Rights in Ricœur. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, 39(4), 1155–1189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-025-10377-7
Leon, P. L. P. D. (2026). Navigating Support Systems: A Life Narrative Study of Help-Seeking Behaviors and Barriers Among Filipino Gay Men in Grandparent-Headed Households. Journal of Homosexuality, 73(9), 2338–2360. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2025.2543839
Mungal, A. (2026). Error to Opportunity: Learning Through Mistakes in Qualitative Research Pedagogy. Understanding Qualitative Inquiry Qi, (Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51), 59–77.
Nukulkij, T. (2025). CHANTING AND MEDITATION: THE JOURNEY OF THAI YOUTH TAEKWONDO ATHLETES AND THEIR PERCEIVED EFFECTS. Journal of Buddhist Anthropology, 10(4), 544–557.
Nuradin, G. (2026). The Child’s Philosophy: Preparing for an Ever-Changing World. International Journal of Early Childhood, 58(2), 717–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-025-00476-8
Nurhadi, K. (2025). The emotional geography of faculty members engaging in virtual teacher professional development (VTPD): Evidence from Indonesia. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 17(2), 663–674. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-06-2022-0187
Rai, I. M. (2023). Community Development for Bote in Chitwan National Park, Nepal: A Political Ecology of Development Logic of Erasure. Sustainability Switzerland, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032834
Sheikh, A. H. (2026). Changing marriage dynamics and the rise of mass marriages in Kashmir. International Journal of Law Policy and the Family, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/ebag006
Svyrydenko, D. (2024). The Potential of Science Education for Development of Responsible Citizenship in Ukraine. Studia Warminskie, 61(Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51), 157–172. https://doi.org/10.31648/sw.10791
Tohirin. (2025). Instilling religious values in young learners: A narrative exploration of teachers’ roles and realities. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.58256/d3rkh879
Vanello, D. (2025). Autobiographical Memory and Moral Agency: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychology. In Autobiographical Memory and Moral Agency Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychology (p. 340). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032647104
Weiss, C. R. (2023). Narrative Inquiry as a Caring and Relational Research Approach: Adopting an Evolving Paradigm. Qualitative Health Research, 33(5), 388–399. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323231158619
Williams, M. (2022). Developing and Implementing a STEAM Unit at a Bilingual School in Hong Kong: A Lesson Learned. Bold Visions in Educational Research, 77(Query date: 2026-07-26 22:07:51), 205–233. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004524705_012
Yen, Y. C. (2026). The Historical Development and Educational-Theoretical Foundations of J. S. Bruner’s Cognitive Theory: A Study Based on J. M. Anglin’s Selected Works (1945-1972). Journal of Research in Education Sciences, 71(1), 67–102. https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202603_71(1).0003
Zheleznov, A. (2025). ETHICS AFTER METAPHYSICS ETHICAL IMPERATIVES OF BADIOU AND ŽIŽEK. Filosofiya Zhurnal Vysshey Shkoly Ekonomiki, 9(1), 185–208. https://doi.org/10.17323/2587-8719-2025-1-185-208
Zhunussova, G. (2026). Five metafunctions of good university teachers: A narrative inquiry in Kazakhstan. Teaching in Higher Education, 31(4), 724–743. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2025.2587644
