Implications of Students’ Misperceptions about Philosophy on the Development of Philosophical Foundations of Education Teaching Materials

Tatang Syaripudin, Kurniasih, Ruswandi Hermawan, Sofiani Kusniasari

Indonesia University of Education, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2023.1011036

Received: 21 October 2023; Revised: 08 November 2023; Accepted: 13 November 2023; Published: 16 December 2023

ABSTRACT

This research aims to describe students’ misperceptions about philosophy as a hindrance to learning the philosophical foundations of education and its implications for the development of teaching materials in the Foundations of Education course. The research was conducted using a descriptive method, with 81 PGSD students from the Faculty of Education at UPI as the research subjects. Result of this research collected through survey, questionnaires, and interviews and processed through the following steps: data reduction, data classification, data interpretation, analysis of implications, and drawing conclusions. The research results indicate the existence of students’ misperceptions about philosophy as an obstacle to learning the philosophical foundations of education. Various perceptions that emerged include: 1) Philosophy is seen as an uncommon knowledge system in everyday life, as strange knowledge, or even as mysterious or mystical knowledge; 2) Philosophy is considered difficult to learn; 3) Philosophy is perceived as dangerous, as it may lead people to disbelief; therefore, it is unnecessary to study; 4) Philosophy is deemed unnecessary because its benefits in life are unclear; 5) Philosophy is seen as useless because it doesn’t provide technical guidance for solving life’s problems. Regarding the implications for the development of teaching materials for the philosophical foundations of education, before students study the educational foundations from various philosophical perspectives, they need to be facilitated in building the right perceptions about the nature of philosophy. The teaching material should include: the definition of philosophy, characteristics of philosophy, a comparison of philosophy with science, religion, and art, and the role and benefits of philosophy in life. As a result, misperceptions about philosophy can be overcome, making it no longer a hindrance to learning the philosophical foundations of education in the Foundations of Education course.

Keywords: Implications, Perception, Philosophy, Philosophical Foundations of Education

INTRODUCTION

Prospective teachers need to study educational philosophy because educational philosophy will serve as a starting point for educational practice (Kurniasih, 2020:187). In connection with this, the Philosophical Foundations of Education becomes one of the teaching materials in the Foundations of Education course. The objective to be achieved through the topic of philosophical foundations of education is for students to understand the educational assumptions from various educational philosophy perspectives, particularly understanding the assumptions of national educational philosophy based on  Indonesian ideologi, and being able to apply them in educational practice and/or further educational studies. This is important because the foundation of national education in Indonesia is Pancasila (Article 2 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 20 Year 2003 on “National Education System”).

Teaching material on Philosophical Foundations of Education must be mastered by all Primary School Teacher Education students. Ideally, the goals of this topic should be achieved by every student according to the quality standards set in the PGSD curriculum. However, the PGSD students’ learning outcomes regarding Philosophical Foundations of Education show that their absorption capacity still needs improvement. At the end of the 2022 academic year, the average absorption capacity of students ranged around 67%. Based on the reflection on their learning and the learning outcomes, two recommendations for improvement are made. First, a study should be conducted to address students’ learning obstacles stemming from their misperceptions about philosophy. Second, a more effective teaching model should be chosen and applied in addition to the discussion method that has been used.

This research is focused on the first recommendation resulting from the reflection on students’ learning and learning outcomes, as described above. Therefore, the research problem was formulated as follows: What are the implications of students’ misperceptions about philosophy for the development of teaching materials in the philosophical foundations of education in Indonesian country? The research problem is further detailed into the following research questions: 1) What kind of misperceptions act as obstacles for students in learning the philosophical foundations of education in Indonesian country? 2) What are the implications of students’ misperceptions about philosophy for the development of teaching materials in the philosophical foundations of education in Indonesian country?

In general, this research aims to obtain feedback for the development of teaching materials in the philosophical foundations of education as an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of learning for Primary School Teacher Education students of Faculty of Educational Sciences,  Indonesian University of Education.. Specifically, the research aims to: 1) Identify the misperceptions of PGSD students of Faculty of Educational Sciences,  Indonesian University of Education about philosophy that hinder their learning of the philosophical foundations of education; 2) Describe the implications of PGSD students’ misperceptions about philosophy for the development of teaching materials in the philosophical foundations of education. The results of this research are beneficial for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of teaching in the Foundations of Education course. For teachers, it is useful for obtaining feedback to develop teaching materials in Philosophical Foundations of Education, and for students, it is beneficial to facilitate them in achieving the course objectives in Philosophical Foundations of Education.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Educational Philosophy as Specialized or Applied Philosophy

In the systematics of philosophy, educational philosophy is positioned as either a specialized philosophy or an applied philosophy. Educational philosophy is considered a specialized philosophy because it has a specific focus on education. On the other hand, educational philosophy is also referred to as applied philosophy because it involves the application of philosophy to study various educational issues (Henderson, 1959:12; Ozmon and Craver, 1981:x). Educational philosophy applies two aspects of general philosophy: 1) the method of general philosophical thinking, and 2) the results of general philosophical thinking (Syaripudin and Kurniasih, 2017).

Since educational philosophy is an application of the methods and results of general philosophy, studying the philosophical foundations of education allows us to understand the logical consistency or coherence between the theories or ideas of general philosophy and the theories or ideas about education (educational philosophy). Thus, there would be logical consistency or coherence between the ideas or theories in the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology and the ideas or theories in the field of education, such as educational goals, curriculum, teaching methods, the role of the educator, and more (Kneller, 1971 and Power, 1982).

In connection with this, the thought pattern in presenting the philosophical foundations of education, as proposed by philosophy experts, can be visualized in figure 1:

Figure 1. Thought Pattern in Presenting the Philosophical Foundations of Education

Educational Philosophy as Process and Result of Thinking

Educational philosophy can be expressed as both a thinking process and a result of thinking (Mudyahardjo, 1995). As a thinking process, educational philosophy can be defined as a systematic, reflective, and critically contemplative thinking process to generate a system of thought or theory about the nature of education comprehensively. As a result of thinking, educational philosophy is a set of theories or systems of thought about the nature of education as they have existed and unfolded in human culture. We can find systems of thought or theories about the nature of education, for example, in books such as Plato’s “Republic,” Stella Van Petten Henderson’s “Introduction to Philosophy of Education,” J.J. Rousseau’s “Emile,” John Dewey’s “Democracy and Education,” and so on.

Just like general philosophy, educational philosophy also consists of various schools of thought. In this context, there are known movements such as Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, Scholasticism, Existentialism, Constructivism, and so on. Additionally, there are educational philosophies like Progressivism, Essentialism, Perennialism, and Reconstructionism (Butler, 1954; Frost Jr., 1957; Kneller, 1971; Power, 1982; Callahan and Clark, 1983; Ozmon and Craver, 1981; Ornstein and Levine, 1985; Amien, 2005).

The Functions of Educational Philosophy.

Syaripudin and Kurniasih (2017) presented the functions of educational philosophy for prospective educators and/or educators. The functions they mentioned are as follows:

1. Providing comprehensive insights into the nature of education.
2. Serving as assumptions (foundations) for educational practice.
3. Offering guidance on the direction that education should take, as formulated in educational objectives.
4. Cultivating critical thinking and intellectual independence in the midst of various educational theories and practices.

Perceptions of Educational Philosophy

There are various definitions of perception, as mentioned by Page and Thomas (1978:25) and Chaplin (1972:51). From various definitions, it can be concluded that perception is the awareness, response, impression, and meaning that an individual gives to an object as a result of observing that object. In this regard, a person’s observation of philosophy will result in their perception of philosophy.

A person’s perception is influenced by various variables. According to Krech and Crutchfield, there are two groups of variables that affect perception: 1) Structural variables, which are factors contained in physical stimuli and neurophysiological processes; 2) Functional variables, which are factors present within the observer, such as needs, moods, past experiences, and other individual traits (Sarwono, 1983:94).

A person’s perception of an object may be either correct or incorrect. Krech and Crutchfield (1962:51-60) identified five factors that can cause errors in first impressions (perception): 1) insufficient information; 2) incorrect cues; 3) stereotyping; 4) logical errors; 5) halo effect and devil effect. Based on this theory, errors in the perception of philosophy may also occur due to one or more of these factors.

METHOD

This research employed a descriptive method, specifically a survey. The research subjects consisted of 81 students from the PGSD (Primary School Teacher Education) program at FIP UPI who are taking the Foundations of Education course. Data collection is carried out through questionnaires and interviews. The research data, obtained from interviews, and questionnaires are processed through the following steps: 1) data reduction, 2) data classification, 3) data display, 4) data interpretation, and 5) drawing conclusions. To understand the implications of students’ misperceptions about philosophy, the following steps are taken the curriculum development for the philosophy of education course is conducted through implication analysis. Implications are denoted by the symbol: p => q (if p, then q). Criteria truth is described in the following chart below.

Figure 2. Criteria for the Truth of Implications

Key: i = True statement

         o = False statement.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Students’ Misperceptions about Philosophy that Hinder Learning in Educational Philosophy

Five misperceptions that students have about philosophy, which hinder their learning in educational philosophy. These five misperceptions are:

1. Some students view philosophy as something uncommon in everyday life, making it seem strange or even as esoteric and mystical knowledge.
2. In general, students view philosophy as a body of knowledge that is difficult to learn. This misperception arises because they receive explanations about philosophy using complex language and expressions that are hard to understand.
3. Some students think that philosophy is unnecessary and even dangerous. This misperception can be attributed to some students having heard explanations or rumors that studying philosophy can disturb one’s mind or lead to disbelief.
4. Philosophy is unnecessary because its benefits in life are unclear.
5. Some students state that philosophy is useless for solving real-life problems. Philosophy does not provide practical guidance for problem-solving, unlike science and technology, which are practical and technical in nature and provide tangible benefits.

Implications of Students’ Misperceptions about Philosophy for the Development of the Educational Philosophy Curriculum

The misperceptions that students have about philosophy, as described above, can be traced back to several causes. These causes include: First, students may not fully understand what philosophy truly is. They often misperceive or mix philosophy with other types of knowledge, and sometimes even with mystical aspects. Second, students may not realize that every person, including themselves, actually has a personal philosophy of life. Third, students receive incorrect information and perceptions about philosophy, leading them to view philosophy as dangerous and unhelpful. Fourth, students may not be aware of the characteristics that distinguish philosophy from religion, science, and art.

The misperceptions of students about philosophy result in hindrances when learning educational philosophy. To address these misperceptions that hinder the study of the philosophical foundations of education, several implications should be implemented within the curriculum. These implications suggest that before studying various educational philosophies, students should first gain a correct understanding of the nature of philosophy. This understanding includes:

1. A definition of philosophy (Page, Thomas, and Marshal, 1978).
2. The characteristics of philosophy (Mudyahardjo, 1995; Rapar, 1996).
3. Comparisons of philosophy with other systems of knowledge (Henderson, 1959; Mudyahardjo, 1995).
4. The roles and benefits of philosophy in life (Rapar, 1996).

Clarity in understanding the nature of philosophy, as outlined above, is believed to help overcome students’ misperceptions about philosophy. As a result, the obstacles to studying educational philosophy that stem from these misperceptions can be overcome.

CONCLUSION

There are five misperceptions held by students in the PGSD (Primary School Teacher Education) program of Faculty of Educational Sciences, Indonesian University of Education about philosophy that act as hindrances to learning the philosophical foundations of education. The variations in misperceptions that have emerged include: 1) Viewing philosophy as an unusual, strange, even secretive or mystical body of knowledge; 2) Seeing philosophy as a difficult subject to learn; 3) Believing that philosophy is dangerous and, therefore, not worth studying; 4) Claiming that philosophy is unnecessary because its benefits in everyday life are unclear; 5) Arguing that philosophy is useless because its concepts do not provide practical guidance for problem-solving in life.

The implications of students’ misperceptions about philosophy on the development of the educational philosophy curriculum suggest that before Primary School Teacher Education students delve into various educational philosophies, instructors should first facilitate them in building a proper understanding of the nature of philosophy. This includes: the definition of philosophy (etymological, lexical, and operational), the characteristics of philosophy (object, process, results, and its truth nature), comparisons of philosophy with other systems of knowledge (comparisons with science, art, and religion), the roles and benefits of philosophy in life. By doing so, misunderstandings about philosophy are expected to be overcome, and philosophy will no longer be a hindrance to learning educational philosophy.

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