The profile of the public junior high school students’ character values in Ponorogo, Indonesia

Abstract

This study aimed to measure the initial character values of the public junior high school students in Ponorogo. Michele Borba shows the way to build the character through seven main virtues: Empathy, conscience, self-control, respect, kindness, tolerance, and justice. These virtues make human quality. This study applied descriptive-quantitative method with the sample of 280 public junior high school students in Ponorogo. The data were measured with a Likert scale with gradations from very positive to very negative. The results of the study showed the students’ levels of virtue: Empathy by 73.6%, conscience by 78.1%, self-control by 76%, respect by 39.6%, kindness by 80.7%, tolerance by 17.8%, and justice by 83.5%. From the results of the field study, the percentage of the lacking character values were respect and tolerance that need to be further improved.