Social Studies instruction at the junior high school level still tends to rely heavily on textbooks. As a result, educators often present topics like disaster mitigation in a theoretical manner, failing to connect them to students' real-life experiences. This situation has caused students' interest in learning about and understanding disaster mitigation remaining relatively low, particularly in disaster-prone areas, such as Central Sulawesi. Therefore, this study aims to develop educational materials in the form of educational comics on disaster mitigation based on the local wisdom of Central Sulawesi, as well as to assess their suitability and practicality for use in social studies education. The research and development (R&D) method was adopted, based on the ADDIE model, which comprises the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation phases. Data were collected using validation sheets completed by experts and student response questionnaires based on a Likert scale. Three experts conducted the validation, covering content, media, and language. The test subjects were 27 Year 8 students at SMPN 3 Palu. The expert validation findings indicated a feasibility score of 95%, which falls into the “highly feasible” category after revisions were made based on the validators’ suggestions. Meanwhile, the practicality test yielded a score of 1,831 out of a maximum of 2,160, representing 84.77%, falling into the “moderately feasible” category. The findings indicate that using educational comics as a learning medium can enhance students’ engagement and improve their understanding of disaster mitigation material.
Group-based learning provides opportunities for elementary students to develop academic understanding while learning to interact, cooperate, and support their peers. This study examined changes in students’ social studies learning outcomes and cooperative attitudes following the implementation of group-based learning in an elementary classroom. The study employed Classroom Action Research (CAR) conducted in two cycles, each consisting of planning, action, observation, and reflection. Participants were 14 third-grade students at SDN Lidah Wetan IV, Surabaya, Indonesia. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews, documentation, and a literature review and were analyzed inductively by organizing, presenting, and interpreting the evidence obtained across the research cycles. The findings showed progressive changes in students’ participation, cooperation, and understanding of social studies content. During the initial classroom observations, learning was predominantly individual and teacher-centered, and students showed signs of boredom and difficulty understanding cardinal directions and floor plans. In the first cycle, group activities encouraged students with stronger understanding to assist peers who experienced difficulties, while students became more actively involved in learning. By the second cycle, students demonstrated greater enthusiasm, social interaction, task sharing, and cooperation when completing the floor-plan activity. The classroom evidence also indicated improved understanding of cardinal directions and floor plans across the cycles. These findings suggest that group-based learning can provide a supportive classroom environment in which students develop subject-matter understanding alongside cooperative behaviors. Within the context of this classroom action research, group-based activities were particularly useful for encouraging peer support and active participation in elementary social studies learning.
This study examines the transmission of contemporary collective memory surrounding the legacy of Prince Diponegoro’s exile (1830–1855) in Makassar, focusing on the roles of his descendants, local communities, burial sites, and Fort Rotterdam in the materialization of memory. It explores how historical memory is not merely inherited but continuously constructed and reinterpreted within contemporary social contexts. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation. The findings show that the collective memory of Diponegoro in Makassar is not static but is continuously reproduced through interactions between his descendants and local communities. The burial sites and Fort Rotterdam serve as important sites of materialized memory, bringing together genealogical memory, public memory, and the historical experience of Diponegoro’s exile in Makassar. Intergenerational transmission also varies across generations: the older generation demonstrates a strong emotional attachment, the adult generation adopts a more adaptive relationship with this memory, while the younger generation tends to engage with it symbolically and through digital representations on social media. The relationship between descendants and local communities is interdependent and dialogical. While descendants contribute to preserving the continuity and authenticity of historical narratives, local communities extend their meanings into a broader and more inclusive social sphere. These findings demonstrate that preserving the collective memory of Diponegoro’s exile in Makassar is an ongoing social process that sustains historical continuity while contributing to the formation of collective identity and historical consciousness in contemporary society.
This study examined the effectiveness of the Student Facilitator and Explaining (SFAE) model in improving social studies learning outcomes among fifth-grade elementary school students. The study employed a quasi-experimental design involving an experimental group taught using the SFAE model and a control group taught using conventional methods. Data were collected using a learning outcome test, student activity observation sheets, and a short interview guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using prerequisite tests and a t-test, while observational and interview data were analyzed descriptively. The findings showed an improvement in students’ social studies learning outcomes following the implementation of the SFAE model. The mean posttest score reached 76.59, with 86.36% of students achieving the minimum mastery criterion. Classroom observations also indicated active student participation during the learning process, particularly in attending to instruction and completing learning activities. Overall, the findings suggest that the SFAE model can support social studies learning outcomes by providing students with opportunities to actively engage with and explain learning material to their peers. However, given the study’s limited sample and single-school setting, the findings should be interpreted within the context of this study.
This study investigated the integration of interactive learning media and social digital literacy into Social Studies instruction to address students’ limited classroom participation and their difficulties in critically evaluating digital information. The study employed Classroom Action Research (CAR) involving 67 Grade VII students at SMP Negeri 4 Pare. The research was conducted in two cycles, each comprising planning, action, observation, and reflection. Interactive learning media were integrated with social digital literacy activities to promote active participation, collaborative discussion, critical evaluation of digital information, and responsible engagement with social issues. Data were collected through learning achievement tests, student worksheets, classroom observations, and teacher reflection notes and were analyzed descriptively across the two action cycles. The findings showed consistent improvements from Cycle I to Cycle II. The mean Social Studies achievement score increased from 72.4 to 83.1, while the proportion of students demonstrating high classroom participation increased from 25% to 55%. Similarly, the proportion of students achieving a high level of social digital literacy increased from 25% to 50%. Classroom observations further indicated greater student confidence in expressing opinions, responding to peers, collaboratively examining social issues, and critically engaging with digital information. These improvements were supported by reflective adjustments to instructional activities between cycles. The findings suggest that integrating interactive learning media with social digital literacy can provide a participatory and reflective learning environment that supports students’ academic learning, classroom engagement, and responsible use of digital information in Social Studies education.
