International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Formal Learning Still Dominates: A Qualitative Coding Analysis of Civil Servant Competence Development in Medan City Government

Adrian Saleh (Master Program of Development Studies, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia)
Tengku Irmayani (Master Program of Development Studies, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia)
Husni Thamrin (Master Program of Development Studies, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study analyzed the methods used to develop the competence of civil servants (Aparatur Sipil Negara/ASN) at the Medan City Personnel and Human Resources Development Agency (BKPSDM) and their relationship to the performance of the Medan City Government. A descriptive qualitative approach was used, with data drawn from in-depth interviews with the Head of BKPSDM, the Head of the HR Development Division, eight BKPSDM staff, twenty ASN training participants, and three academics, supplemented by field observation and document review, and analyzed through inductive coding. The findings showed that competence development remains dominated by classroom training (22% of implementation codes), followed by blended learning and training administration (15% each), while coaching, mentoring, and digital learning are present but not yet systematically embedded. The intervention was perceived as effective mainly where training content matched job needs and participants stayed engaged, but post-training evaluation and monitoring, budget constraints, and partial misalignment between training content and position requirements remained persistent constraints. Organizational supportparticularly peer learning and digitalizationhelped offset these limitations. The study concludes that competence development at BKPSDM Kota Medan is shifting gradually from a purely classroom-based model toward a more blended and digitally supported one, and recommends strengthening post-training evaluation, position-based training design, and organizational learning culture to translate competence gains into sustained government performance.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

ijssh

Publisher

Subject

Arts Environmental Science Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

(IJSSH). It is an international refereed journal in english published four monthly (every February, June, and October). The IJSSH is an international peer-reviewed, electronic, online journal in english that provides rapid publication of articles in all areas of the social science, humanity and ...