Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Vol. 1 No. 3 (2025): August

Moral Values in Indonesian Textbooks for First Grade: A Multimodality Discourse Analysis

Wisna Rahmayanti (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kendari, Indonesia)
Fahmi Gunawan (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kendari, Indonesia)
Karim Karim (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kendari, Indonesia)
Sitti Fauziah (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kendari, Indonesia)
Raehang Raehang (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kendari, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
02 Mar 2026

Abstract

The increasing concern over moral degradation among elementary school children underscores the urgent need to examine how educational materials can serve as a medium for character formation. This study investigates the moral values embedded in the Indonesian language textbook Bahasa Indonesia: Aku Bisa! for first-grade students (2023 revised edition) and examines how these values are represented through a multimodal discourse analysis approach. A qualitative descriptive design was employed, applying multimodal discourse analysis grounded in Moral Foundations Theory and the national Character Education Reinforcement framework. The research object was the entire textbook, which comprises eight thematic chapters. Data were collected by systematically identifying and documenting all verbal and visual elements within the book, including written texts, illustrations, symbols, and interactive learning activities. The findings indicate that moral values such as care, fairness, loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity are presented contextually and integratively throughout the textbook. These align with core character education principles including religiosity, nationalism, independence, cooperation, and integrity. Narrative structures, visual representations, and participatory tasks work together to foster a holistic moral understanding among young learners. Overall, the textbook not only facilitates foundational literacy development but also plays a strategic role in character formation aligned with the Pancasila Student Profile. The study highlights the importance of incorporating multimodal design in textbook development as an effective approach to strengthening character education.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ms

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSH) is an interdisciplinary publication of original research and writing on education which publishes papers to international audiences of educational researchers. The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities aims to ...