Assessing the Character of Pancasila Student Profiles: Challenges Encountered by Teachers

Administering assessment is essential in education, including, in the implementation of character building in the Pancasila Student Profiles. This study was conducted to examine the implementation of the P5 (the Project for Strengthening Pancasila Student Profiles) in primary schools and the challenges teachers encountered in assessing the P5 character. Descriptive analysis was used in this study. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires and interviews given to 160 teachers representing 160 schools in 16 sub-districts in West Bandung, Indonesia. The results of the data analysis show that several elements are dominantly used from each dimension. Particularly noteworthy is that the creativity dimension is rarely taught. In terms of assessments, summative assessment is the most frequently practiced assessment among teachers. The number of teachers who carried out diagnostic and formative assessments is relatively small (<5%). Furthermore, the challenges or difficulties faced by the teachers in preparing the assessment encompass aspects such as the P5 comprehension, how to cultivate the P5 character, the main obstacles in instilling the P5 character, and measuring the P5 character.


INTRODUCTION
Character education is the conscious effort to develop good mental and moral qualities based on core virtues that are good for the individual and society (Lickona, 2003;Susilo, Dewantoro, & Yuningsih, 2002;Sarwadi & Nashihin, 2023).Character education in the 21st century is increasingly gaining recognition due to rising inequality in educational outcomes seen from the behaviour of citizens, such as corruption, brawls, robbery, and other destructive behaviours.Therefore, there is a widespread agreement that schools must contribute to students' moral development and character building (Nucci & Narvaez, 2008;Nada, Fajarningsih, & Aspirin, 2021;Rosala & Budiman, 2020).Thus, young people can imminently promote intellectual, social, emotional, and ethical development.That is what the government of the Republic of Indonesia persists in striving for through the Ministry of Education and Culture concerning the role of schools in building character in individuals by integrating character education into the curriculum.
In early 2020, the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture applied the new curriculum named Merdeka Curriculum.One of the focuses is building character education by implementing a Project to Strengthen the Pancasila Student Profile (P5).The P5 is a projectbased curricular activity designed to strengthen efforts to achieve competence and character according to the Pancasila Student Profiles, which is based on graduation competency standards.The P5 activities are carried out flexibly in terms of its content, activities, and implementation time.The P5 is designed separately from intra-curricular.The project objectives, content, and activities do not have to be related to intra-curricular goals and themes (Satria, Adiprima, Wulan, & Harjatanaya, 2022).The Pancasila Student Profile is an essential goal established by the Curriculum Development Team by Decree Number 20 of 2020 Education and Culture Concepts 2020-2024.Implementing the Pancasila Profile includes the following mandatory competencies (dimensions): 1) faith in and piety toward God, and noble character; 2) independence; 3) critical thinking; 4) creativity; 5) cooperation; and 6) global diversity (Rusnaini & Noventari, 2021).These six competencies must be applied daily to become one unit that supports and is mutually sustainable with one another.

Figure 1. The Dimensions of Pancasila Student Profiles
To effectively foster characters for the younger generation, all stakeholders in the school community must be involved (Singh, 2019;Handayani, Ahmad, & Indrawati, 2023;Rachman, Kawakip, Fadhillah, & Zulkifli, 2023).Hence, character-building can be more effective and aligned with the school curriculum.Teachers are expected to be the stakeholders who know better how to teach character in schools.Teachers should be thoughtful about their teaching methods and should include authentic and structured assessments demonstrating students' understanding (Harrison, et al., 2009;Sutinah, et al., 2023).It shows that as stakeholders, apart from knowing how to instil character, the teachers must also be able to assess it.
Assessment is one or more procedures that determine, organize, and prepare data to assess the achievement of students' outcomes and programme educational goals (Amirtharaj, Chandrasekaran, Thirumoorthy, & Muneeswaran, 2021;Evans, Zeun, & Stanier, 2014).Others believe assessment is a passionate, context-dependent social practice in which teachers articulate and negotiate classroom and cultural knowledge with one another and with learners in creating, designing, and involving assessments to complete student learning goals (Willis, Adie, & Klenowski, 2013).As teachers, constructing an assessment is not straight; big things must be considered when making it.Teachers and schools require a culture of assessment in which teachers and students collectively become proficient (Tai, Ajjawi, Boud, Dawson, & Panadero, 2018) and pursue ideas that help them familiarise and understand better (Vercellotti, 2021;Ruqoyyah, et al., 2021).Assessments that need to be prepared by teachers to evaluate P5 in their classes can be in the form of 1) diagnostic assessment, carried out at the beginning of the project planning; 2) formative assessment, carried out when the teacher determines the dimensions, elements and sub-elements of P5; and 3) summative assessment: carried out at the end of the project, especially for projects that are carried out over a long period.Nevertheless, due to the newness of implementing this Merdeka Curriculum, there is no standard reference or assessment model that teachers can use to assess the implementation of P5.
There has been a lot of research that focuses on evaluating character learning in primary schools (A.Senen, et al., 2020;Wulandari, et al., 2022;).However, most of the study was related to the intra-curricular activities.At the same time, there has yet to be any in-project learning.Apart from that, the measurement of character education often needs to be simplified.In contrast, in this study, it was made simpler by not only focusing on teachers but also on other stakeholders such as parents.In the previous studies, the subjects were mainly students, and this research illustrates the difficulties teachers face.
A preliminary study conducted in the Department of Education and Culture in West Bandung district showed that workshops or training for primary school teachers have never been undertaken, especially workshop on the character assessment of Pancasila Student Profiles.Hence, this activity is considered necessary to improve the quality of education within the Department of Education and Culture in West Bandung district.Therefore, this study investigated what difficulties teachers face in preparing character-based assessments to support P5.This study aimed to answer what are the P5 dimensions; how to measure P5 achievement; and what are the obstacles faced in preparing the P5 assessment.This study addresses teachers' problems in developing character-based assessments for measuring P5 in primary schools.It can be a precise psychometric instrument that strengthens the theoretical framework and provides feedback to the government on assessment issues of P5.

METHODS
This is a qualitative study.Survey and interviews were conducted with primary school teachers whose classes applied the Merdeka Curriculum and carried out the project to strengthen the Pancasila Student Profiles (P5).The data collected were processed and presented through descriptive analysis.This method allows for dividing semi-structured questions into specific classifications and sustaining them with direct quotations (Yıldız & Gökçakan, 2013).
This study involved 160 fourth-grade primary school teachers for the survey and 16 teachers for the interviews across 16 sub-districts (Batujajar, Cihampelas, Cikalong Wetan, Cililin, Cipatat, Cipeundeuy, Cipongkor, Cisarua, Gununghalu, Lembang, Ngamprah, Padalarang, Parompong, Rongga, Saguling, Sindangkerta) in the Department of Education and Culture in West Bandung district.The interviewed teachers implemented the Merdeka curriculum, so they had managed the project to strengthen the Pancasila Student Profiles (P5) in their classes.The phases held out by researchers to collect data were by gathering teachers in workshop activities.This workshop aims to correlate teachers' perceptions concerning learning activities in the projects to strengthen the Pancasila Student Profile, character assessments of the profiles, and perceptions related to the context of the questions presented to students.Furthermore, the teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire, and their representatives were interviewed to confirm the research data.Then, we provided materials related to the implementation of P5 in elementary schools.
The data collection tools used in this study were a questionnaire and interview questions for teachers.The questionnaire and interviews were conducted in a semi-structured form to obtain data related to the difficulties faced by teachers in preparing character-based assessment related to the Project to Strengthen the Pancasila Student Profiles (P5), involving ten open questions for the questionnaire and 5 questions for the interview (Creswell, 2011).The teachers had approximately 30 minutes to answer all the questionnaire items, and a threehour focus group interview (FGI) was conducted with 16 participants.
The descriptive analysis technique by Milles, Huberman, & Saldana (2014) was used in this study.The descriptive analysis was used to elaborate the questionnaire data.The interview process was recorded.The recorded interviews were then computerised to decode the sound into notes, and interviews were lined up (Patton, 2002).The first stage of data analysis was collecting data from surveys and interviews.The researcher then sorts the collected data according to needs and groups, presents it as numerical data and descriptions and presents it as tables or bar graphs and diagrams.Then, they were concluded for each subdiscussion.
The focus of the activity plan is based on the difficulties and fundamental problems of fifth grade students who have not fulfilled the Minimum Completeness Criteria (KKM).The action process consists of several stages, namely: (1) the level of instructor competence in making lesson plans based on TPACK and HOTS; (2) teacher difficulties in identifying problems; (3) the readiness of teachers to solve the causes of problems; (4) the teacher's presentation stage in assisting students in solving problems and analyzing their causes; (5) mastery of learning methodologies, models, approaches, and modalities.Learning is considered effective if the specified indicators obtain findings that meet the Minimum Completeness Criteria (KKM), and students' learning outcomes have followed the Technical Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) method, reaching 70% on the KKM score.The following is a summary of science and technology, as well as research steps using the TPACK technique.The survey data shows a range of dimensions and elements teachers use in their project activities.Furthermore, the results show that several elements are dominantly used from each element (>80%), such as the element of religious morals in faith in and piety toward God, and noble character dimension; the element of generating original ideas in the independence dimension; the element of analysing and evaluating reasoning in the critical thinking dimension; the element of collaboration in the cooperation dimension; and the elements of knowing and appreciating culture in the global diversity dimension.
The data aligns with the interview results, which reveal a tendency to use one dominant element in each dimension.Table 1 describes the questionnaire result on the dimensions, frequency, and elements of Pancasila Student Profiles.In the first dimension (faith in and piety toward God, and noble character), the most dominant element is religious morals with 142 teachers teaching this element.It is followed by morals towards humans with 112 teachers, moral towards nature with 90 teachers, personal morals with 9 teachers, and state morals with 2 teachers.Then, for the independence dimension, 114 teachers came up with generating original ideas.It is followed by producing original works and actions with 60 teachers, and having the flexibility to think deeply and look for alternative problem solution with 27 teachers.In the critical thinking dimension, the most dominant element is analysing and evaluating reasoning with 129 teachers.It is followed by obtaining and processing information and ideas with 90 teachers and reflecting on thoughts and thinking processes with 41 teachers.Furthermore, for the creative dimension, 41 teachers were teaching selfawareness, and 64 were teaching the situation faced and self-regulation.Then, 155 teachers taught collaboration, 18 teachers nurtured concerns, and 139 teachers fostered sharing.For the global diversity dimension, the most dominant elemet is knowing and appreciating culture with 147 teachers.It is followed by communication skills, intellectual interaction with each other with 139 teachers, Reflection and responsibility to the experience of diversity with 35 teachers, and social justice with 25 teachers.It is note worthy that in the creative dimension, the element that teachers used the most is the situation encountered and self-regulation.However, the frequency of their occurrence is less than 50% of the number of research subjects.Compared to other elements, it has a smaller proportion of application.This result aligns with the study by Widiastuti & Indriana (2019), which indicates that students' creative thinking skills at school are still low.Creativity is an essential dimension that needs to be nurtured in students.Runco, Acar, & Cayirdag, (2017) stated that greater creativity increases an individual's ability to survive and thrive in various life circumstances.Additionally, creative thinking is a process that can only be developed gradually over a long time period (Yang & Cheng, 2010;Dollinger, 2007).Therefore, this ability needs to be taught as early as possible, starting from when someone is of primary school age (Kobsiripat, 2015).

RQ2: How teachers measure the P5 achievement
Furthermore, teachers were asked to define the evaluation procedure they took to enhance the quality of learning.Three types of assessments were applied by the teachers, namely diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments.Graph 1 illustrates the data about how teacher evaluated their classroom.Most of the teachers did not do the diagnostic and formative assessment, while almost half of the teachers were doing the summative assessment in their classes.

Diagnostic Assessment
Diagnostic assessment aims to diagnose students' basic abilities and determine the initial conditions.The data shows a slight ratio (4.4%) of teachers who conducted this assessment in the Project to Strengthen the Pancasila Student Profiles (P5).The data shows the unideal facts of how the initial evaluation should be taken.Leighton & Gierl (2007) present that it is essential to administer evaluation before learning to obtain information on students' strengths and weaknesses.Furthermore, teachers could use the diagnostic information to help students improve their weaknesses during the learning process.This statement aligns with Treagust's (2012) research, which reveals that by knowing students' initial conditions, teachers can optimally improve the quality of learning and student learning outcomes.
During the interview session, teachers acknowledged infrequently conducting the diagnostic assessments.Additionally, more than 50% of interviewed teachers who stated they did not conduct diagnostic assessments noted that the main reason they did not do so was because they did not have enough time to do it.This response indicates that, although most teachers understand the essentials for diagnostic assessment, some things prevent them from administering it.

Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is an examination carried out to monitor and improve the learning process and evaluate the achievement of learning objectives (Rushton, 2005;Boston, 2002).By its purpose, formative assessment can be carried out throughout the learning process.The survey results showed that the proportion of teachers who conducted formative assessments in the Projects to Strengthen Pancasila Student Profiles (P5) compared to those who did not was approximately 1:7.The data shows a tremendous gap between school conditions and ideal conditions.Implementing formative assessments in the classroom can improve students' independent learning abilities (Jennifer, 2013) and increase student achievement in school.Furthermore, it encourages student collaboration (Menéndez, Napa, Moreira, & Zambrano, 2019;& James, 2014).

Summative Assessment
A summative assessment is an inspection taken at the end of each unit (Kibble, 2017).Implementation of this test has been proven to increase student learning motivation (Harlen & Deakin, 2002).Most participants stated that they carried out summative assessments periodically for students, although there were a number of teachers who did not carry use summative assessment.The data shows that the implementation of this assessment has the highest intensity.

RQ3:
The obstacles on preparing the P5 assessment.
Generally, almost all (> 90%) participants clarified that they were still confused about how to make a good assessment for P5.This is because, until now, the government has yet to guide the development of evaluation for P5.This is unfortunate because teachers' competency to evaluate an educational program is very important (Lambert & Lines, 2000), because carrying out assessments benefits both the teachers and students, such as having evidence for grades; the teaching, learning, and assessing are aligned; and there will be credible data to report and use (Gallo & Patton, 2006).The data shows that, in general, various factors pose challenges for teachers to prepare the P5 assessments: 1) their understanding of the Pancasila Student Profile; teachers have varying levels of knowledge of the Pancasila Student Profile concept, including understanding its dimensions, elements, and sub-elements; most participants stated that the concept was overwhelming and difficult to understand; 2) how to cultivate the characters of the Pancasila Student Profile; teachers do not know how to instill the characters of Pancasila Student Profile in the project learning; 3) the main obstacles in instilling the Character of Pancasila Student Profile encompass limited understanding, time, resources, and infrastructure; and 4) how to measure Pancasila Student Profile Characters; teachers do not understand formative and summative assessments to measure character, including the techniques and instruments.

CONCLUSION
Based on research findings, several elements are dominantly used from each element.The most noticeable finding is that the creativity dimension is low in application.Additionally, in terms of assessment implementation, summative assessment is the most frequently practiced assessment among teachers.The number of teachers who conducted diagnostic and formative assessments is relatively low (<5%).Furthermore, the challenges faced by the teachers in preparing the assessment are divided into several categories, such as the understanding of P5, how to cultivate the character of P5, the main obstacle in instilling the character of P5 and measuring the P5 character.

Figure
Figure 2. Data Analysis Techniques Analysis of P5 Frequency Assessment by Teachers', n=160

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Challenges in preparing the P5 assessment.