The Character Education at STKIP Bina Insan Mandiri Surabaya through the Symbolic Meaning of Javanese Puppets

This study aims to examine the character education. The Javanese puppets are implemented in character education. It has been taken through the imaging figures of clowns in Javanese puppetry. It has purposed in order to enhance the values in character education of students in the world. The character education was built through symbolic meaning. This research was conducted qualitative research, because the researchers are due to see education whose quality is declining today. In this study, it used a qualitative approach in descriptive form. The use of descriptive methods in this study with the aim of describing the symbolic meaning at the Javanese puppets. So the data collection that was used observation, interviews, and document studies with a multi-case study design. The results of this study can be formulated that symbolic figures are studying about values/ an exemplary attitude (honesty, fairness, not giving up / despairing, and a high sense of nationalism). Those are very necessary and implied in the value of character education. The character education according to the constructivism theory approach for students, especially STKIP Bina Insan Mandiri Surabaya students emphasizes individual development in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities so that they can create a good quality generation in terms of intellectual, personality and character at the future.

Keywords: character education, symbolic meaning, Javanese puppet