Thomas Lickona's Concept of Character Education in the Perspective of Educational Management

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33650/al-tanzim.v10i1.13117

Authors (s)


(1) * Mochammad Rizky   (Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo)  
        Indonesia
(2)  Istikomah Istikomah   (Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo)  
        Indonesia
(3)  Miftahul Huda   (University of Antwerp)  
        Belgium
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


The transformation of education in the Society 5.0 era requires educational systems that adapt to rapid technological advancement while strengthening students’ character development. However, studies on Thomas Lickona’s character education have primarily focused on classroom-level pedagogy, leaving its relevance in educational management underexplored. This study aims to analyse the integration of Lickona’s character education framework into educational management in the context of Society 5.0. Using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), ten peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2025 were analysed through identification, screening, eligibility, and thematic synthesis stages. The findings reveal three dominant patterns. First, curriculum integration embeds moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral action into learning Design to support ethical reflection. Second, strengthening school culture emphasises institutional values, leadership modelling, and habitual practices in sustaining moral behaviour. Third, technology-supported character learning shows that digital media enhance moral engagement when guided by ethical management. Overall, character education is more effective when implemented systemically at the managerial level. This study contributes by repositioning Lickona’s framework as a management-oriented paradigm for human-centred education. Future research should expand empirical validation and explore AI-supported models of character education.



Keywords

Education, Character, Thomas Lickona, Educational Management, School Culture



Full Text: PDF



References


Ahmed, S. K. (2024). The Pillars of Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research. Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health, 2, 100051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2024.100051

Al Hilmi, M. A., Puspaningrum, A., Siahaan, D. O., Samosir, H. S., & Rahma, A. S. (2023). Research Trends, Detection Methods, Practices, and Challenges in Code Smell: SLR. IEEE Access, 11, 129536–129551. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3322465

Anastasiou, S. (2025). Counteracting Toxic Leadership in Education: Transforming Schools Through Emotional Intelligence and Ethical Leadership. Administrative Sciences, 15(8), 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15080312

Andersson, J. R. (2024). Leaders’ Perceptions of Digitalisation in K–12 Education: Influencing Arrangements for Leading the Expansion of Digital Technologies. Discover Education, 3, 143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00247-y

Chigbu, U. E., Atiku, S. O., & Du Plessis, C. C. (2023). The Science of Literature Reviews: Searching, Identifying, Selecting, and Synthesising. Publications, 11(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications11010002

García-Hernández, A., & Cabezas-González, M. (2023). Sustainability in Digital Education: A Systematic Review of Innovative Proposals. Education Sciences, 13, 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010033

Getenet, S., & Albion, P. (2024). Students’ Digital Technology Attitude, Literacy, and Self-Efficacy and Their Effect on Online Learning Engagement. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(3), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00437-y

Ghimire, A., & Edwards, J. (2024). From Guidelines to Governance: A Study of AI Policies in Education. Computers and Society. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2403.15601

Gohal, G., Alqassim, A., Eltyeb, E., Rayyani, A., Hakami, B., & Al-Faqih, A. (2023). Prevalence and Related Risks of Cyberbullying and Its Effects on Adolescents. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04542-0

Hikmasari, D. N., Susanto, H., & Syam, A. R. (2021). Character Education Concept from Thomas Lickona and Ki Hajar Dewantara’s Perspectives. Al-Asasiyya, 6(1), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.24269/ajbe.v6i1.4915

Huang, C. L., Shao, X., Wu, C., & Yang, S. C. (2025). Navigating the Digital Learning Landscape: Insights into Ethical Dilemmas and Academic Misconduct Among University Students. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 22(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-025-00516-2

Kamal, M. B., Hossain, M. B., Islam, J., Alam, I. K., Ibn Sayed, N., Assiri, M. A., & Mia, R. (2025). Digital Ethics: A Review of Leadership Theories, Challenges, and Responsibilities. SAGE Open, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251386901

Kamali, J., Alpat, M. F., & Bozkurt, A. (2024). AI Ethics as a Complex and Multifaceted Challenge: Decoding Educators’ AI Ethics Alignment Through the Lens of Activity Theory. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21, 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00496-9

Karakose, T., Polat, H., Tülübaş, T., & Demirkol, M. (2024). A Review of the Conceptual Structure and Evolution of Digital Leadership Research in Education. Education Sciences, 14, 1166. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111166

Li, D. (2025). Mental Health and Moral Education in the Digital Age. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 20(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJWLTT.367868

Lukmantoro, D., Hariyati, N., Riyanto, Y., & Setyowati, S. (2024). Strategic Leadership of School Principals in Enhancing Character Education in the Digital Literacy Era. IJORER: International Journal of Recent Educational Research, 5(4), 822–834. https://doi.org/10.46245/ijorer.v5i4.622

Martinez, N., Josu, Y., & Eizaguirre, S. (2024). The Impact of Family Involvement on Students’ Social-Emotional Development: The Mediational Role of School Engagement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-024-00862-1

Misra, R., Mahajan, R., & Srivastava, S. (2024). Cyberbullying Perpetration During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Behaviour & Information Technology, 43(2), 353–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2163692

Mittmann, G., Barnard, A., Krammer, I., Martins, D., & Dias, J. (2022). A Social Augmented Reality Game Around Mental Health. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 6, 242. https://doi.org/10.1145/3549505

Morgan, H. (2024). Using Triangulation and Crystallization to Make Qualitative Studies Trustworthy and Rigorous. The Qualitative Report, 29(7), 1844–1856. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6071

Mphatsoane-Sesoane, L. (2025). Analysing the Role of Ethical Leadership in Fostering Teacher Agency. Discover Education, 4, 493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00944-2

Muhammed, N. Y., & Samak, Y. A. A. (2025). The Impact of Cyberbullying on Adolescents. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 7, 1519442. https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2025.1519442

Munawarsyah, M., Fakhrurridha, H., & Muqowim, M. (2024). Character Education for Teenagers in the Era of Society 5.0. Edukasia, 5(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.62775/edukasia.v5i2.984

Newton, P. M., & Essex, K. (2024). How Common Is Cheating in Online Exams? Journal of Academic Ethics, 22, 323–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-023-09485-5

Nouri, Z. T., Khalid, H. E., & Essa, A. K. (2025). The Ethical Foundations and Moral Considerations of Teaching. Global Education Ecology, 1(1), 80–92.

Ntumi, S., Bulala, T., Yeoboah, A., Nimo, D. G., & Antwi, E. S. (2024). Teachers’ Professional Values. Open Science Journal, 9(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.23954/osj.v9i1.3377

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 Statement. BMJ, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71

Papadopoulou, A., Mystakidis, S., & Tsinakos, A. (2024). Immersive Storytelling in Social Virtual Reality. Information, 15(5), 244. https://doi.org/10.3390/info15050244

Polanin, J. R., Espelage, D. L., Grotpeter, J. K., Ingram, K., Michaelson, L., Spinney, E., & Robinson, L. (2022). Interventions to Decrease Cyberbullying. Prevention Science, 23(3), 439–454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01259-6

Proudfoot, K. (2023). Inductive/Deductive Hybrid Thematic Analysis. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 17(3), 308–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/15586898221126816

Ramírez-Correa, P. E., Mariano, A. M., & Santos, M. R. (2025). Digital and Sustainable Education. Sustainability, 17, 5677. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135677

Raptis, N., Psyrras, N., & Koutsourai, S. (2024). School Leadership in Digital Advancement. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 5(2), 99–103.

Reis-Andersson, J. (2024). Leading the Digitalisation Process in K–12 Schools. Education and Information Technologies, 29(3), 2585–2603. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11935-x

Sahin-Ilkorkor, Z., & Brubaker, S. J. (2025). Risk and Protective Factors for Bullying and Cyberbullying. Youth, 5(4), 128. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth5040128

Saiful, Yusliani, H., & Rosnidarwanti. (n.d.). Implementasi Pendidikan Karakter: Perspektif Al-Ghazali and Thomas Lickona.

Savage, W. E., & Olejniczak, A. J. (2022). More Journal Articles and Fewer Books. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0263410. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263410

Schmitz, M.-L., Antonietti, C., Consoli, T., Cattaneo, A., Gonon, P., & Petko, D. (2023). Transformational Leadership for Technology Integration in Schools. Computers & Education, 204, 104880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104880

Tang, X., Zeng, Z., Huang, H., & Symonds, J. (2025). Quality Appraisal Tools for Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed-Methods Studies. ECNU Review of Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311251371227

Tran, H. G. N., Thai, T. T., Dang, N. T. T., Vo, D. K., & Duong, M. H. T. (2023). Cyber-Victimization and Its Effect on Depression in Adolescents. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(2), 1124–1139. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211073889

Varela, J. J., Hernández, C., Berger, C., Souza, S. B., & Pacheco, E. (2022). To Ignore or Not to Ignore. Computers in Human Behavior, 132, 107268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107268

Wang, H., & Tang, A. (2023). Effects of Online Learning on Student Moral Development. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 15(1), 1789–1793. https://doi.org/10.15354/bece.23.ar095

Winterbottom, C., & Schmidt, S. (2022). Embedding Character Education Into an Early Childhood Classroom. Journal of Childhood, Education & Society, 3(2), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202232173

Wu, R. (2023). Online Learning Self-Efficacy and Student Engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1266009. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266009

Yazici, S., Yildiz Durak, H., Aksu Dünya, B., & Şentürk, B. (2023). Online Versus Face-to-Face Cheating. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 39(1), 231–254. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12743

Zakaria, F. R. (2002). Pengaruh Ekstrak Jamu Terhadap Aktivitas Sel Natural Killer dalam Melisis Alur Sel Leukimia (K-562) secara In Vitro.

Zhang, Z., & Ramos, L. (2023). Analyzing Cooperative Learning Thematically. Journal of Education and Development, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.20849/jed.v7i4.1386

Zhou, T., Cañabate, D., Bubnys, R., Stanikūnienė, B., & Colomer, J. (2025). Collaborative Learning, Cooperative Learning, and Reflective Learning. Review of Education, 13(2), e70065. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.70065


Dimensions, PlumX, and Google Scholar Metrics

10.33650/al-tanzim.v10i1.13117


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Mochammad Rizky, Istikomah Istikomah, Miftahul Huda

Creative Commons License
 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Al-Tanzim : Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam
Published by Lembaga Penerbitan, Penelitian, dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LP3M) of Nurul Jadid University, Paiton, Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia.