Teacher Agency and Local Wisdom in Managing the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project: A Phenomenological Study in an Indonesian Boarding School
Abstract
This phenomenological study examines how teachers at SMA Negeri 2 Plus Sipirok organize the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project (P5) across planning, implementation, evaluation, and strategic management. Twenty-three purposively selected participants—one principal, two vice-principals, and twenty teacher-facilitators—contributed data through semi-structured interviews, two months of participant observation, and analysis of 15 institutional document types. Data were analyzed iteratively through condensation, display, and conclusion drawing/verification, with source and method triangulation, prolonged engagement, member checking, peer debriefing, and an audit trail supporting trustworthiness. Findings show that P5 planning was participatory and needs-based, using student surveys and deliberation to connect national themes with Sipirok culture. Implementation combined authentic, student-centered projects with local products, traditions, and community partnerships; 87.3% of students were actively involved and 91.2% reported a deeper understanding of Pancasila values. Character reports showed gains in creativity (22.1%), global diversity (19.8%), mutual cooperation (18.4%), independence (15.7%), critical reasoning (12.3%), and faith and noble character (9.6%). Strategic analysis identified visionary leadership and the 69.6% proportion of Guru Penggerak among facilitators as strengths, while 70% of informants displayed a collective strategic blind spot regarding external continuity risks. The study develops the PELA-KELS model, which integrates participatory leadership, teacher agency, local wisdom, authentic assessment, amanah, and muhasabah. These findings imply that sustainable P5 governance requires equitable teacher capacity-building, institutionalized community partnerships, calibrated assessment, and explicit succession and policy-risk planning.
References
Almulla, M. A. (2020). The effectiveness of the project-based learning approach as a way to engage students in learning. SAGE Open, 10(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020938702
Aronson, B., & Laughter, J. (2016). The theory and practice of culturally relevant education: A synthesis of research across content areas. Review of Educational Research, 86(1), 163–206. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315582066
Asiati, S., & Hasanah, U. (2022). Implementasi projek penguatan profil pelajar Pancasila di sekolah penggerak. Jurnal Lingkar Mutu Pendidikan, 19(2), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.54124/jlmp.v19i2.78
Asmayawati, Yufiarti, & Yetti, E. (2024). Pedagogical innovation and curricular adaptation in enhancing digital literacy: A local wisdom approach for sustainable development in Indonesia context. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 10(1), Article 100233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2024.100233
Asnani, Rachmadiarti, F., & Pratiwi, R. (2026). Development of project-based learning e-module integrated with local wisdom of Kupang Sidoarjo to improve students creative thinking skills. JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia, 6(2), 346–372. https://doi.org/10.62159/jpi.v6i2.2590
Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2012). How schools do policy: Policy enactments in secondary schools. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203153185
Berkowitz, M. W., Bier, M. C., & McCauley, B. (2017). Toward a science of character education: Frameworks for identifying and implementing effective practices. Journal of Character Education, 13(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCE-12-2017-0004
Biesta, G., Priestley, M., & Robinson, S. (2015). The role of beliefs in teacher agency. Teachers and Teaching, 21(6), 624–640. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1044325
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21, 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5
Boud, D., & Falchikov, N. (2006). Aligning assessment with long-term learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(4), 399–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930600679050
Braun, A., Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Hoskins, K. (2011). Taking context seriously: Towards explaining policy enactments in the secondary school. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 32(4), 585–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2011.601555
Bromley, P., & Powell, W. W. (2012). From smoke and mirrors to walking the talk: Decoupling in the contemporary world. Academy of Management Annals, 6(1), 483–530. https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2012.684462
Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: Enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354
Chen, C.-H., & Yang, Y.-C. (2019). Revisiting the effects of project-based learning on students' academic achievement: A meta-analysis investigating moderators. Educational Research Review, 26, 71–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.11.001
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE.
de Jong, L., Meirink, J., & Admiraal, W. (2022). School-based collaboration as a learning context for teachers: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Research, 112, Article 101927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101927
de Jong, W. A., de Kleijn, R. A. M., Lockhorst, D., Brouwer, J., Noordegraaf, M., & van Tartwijk, J. W. F. (2023). Collaborative spirit: Understanding distributed leadership practices in and around teacher teams. Teaching and Teacher Education, 123, Article 103977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103977
Double, K. S., McGrane, J. A., & Hopfenbeck, T. N. (2020). The impact of peer assessment on academic performance: A meta-analysis of control group studies. Educational Psychology Review, 32, 481–509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09510-3
Erdoğan, O., Sezgin, F., Özdemir, S., Özdemir, N., Zepeda, S. J., & Kılınç, A. Ç. (2024). How national and school cultural factors influence the link between distributed leadership and collective teacher innovativeness: Testing a multilevel moderated mediation model. European Journal of Education, 59(4), Article e12718. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12718
Farshad, S., & Fortin, C. (2026). An umbrella review of meta-analyses on project-based learning: Effects on academic achievement, higher-order thinking, and 21st-century skills. Educational Research Review, 52, Article 100809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100809
Febriani, E., Woods, R., Madkur, A., & Hasanah, U. (2026). Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the education and environmental sectors: A comparative study of Indonesia and Australia. Gender, Islamic Law, and Sustainability, 1(2), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.70211/gils.v1i2.547
Gruenewald, D. A. (2003). The best of both worlds: A critical pedagogy of place. Educational Researcher, 32(4), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X032004003
Guo, P., Saab, N., Post, L. S., & Admiraal, W. (2020). A review of project-based learning in higher education: Student outcomes and measures. International Journal of Educational Research, 102, Article 101586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101586
Hallinger, P. (2018). Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46(1), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143216670652
Harris, A. (2013). Distributed leadership: Friend or foe? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 41(5), 545–554. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143213497635
Hilal, Y. Y., Hammad, W., & Polatcan, M. (2024). Does distributed leadership improve teacher agency? Exploring the mediating effect of teacher reflection. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 52(6), 1369–1387. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221134931
Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in problem-based and inquiry learning: A response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark. Educational Psychologist, 42(2), 99–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520701263368
Kemendikbudristek. (2022). Panduan pengembangan Projek Penguatan Profil Pelajar Pancasila. Badan Standar, Kurikulum, dan Asesmen Pendidikan.
Koderi, K., Sufian, M., & Erlina. (2023). Developing Lampung local wisdom film of Arabic communication skills for Madrasah Tsanawiyah students. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 13(12), 2004–2013. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2023.13.12.2015
Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving Schools, 19(3), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480216659733
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465–491. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465
Lam, R. (2018). Portfolio assessment for the teaching and learning of writing. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1174-1
Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2020). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management, 40(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077
Li, H., Xiong, Y., Hunter, C. V., Guo, X., & Tywoniw, R. (2020). Does peer assessment promote student learning? A meta-analysis. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(2), 193–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1620679
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE.
Liu, S., Lu, J., & Yin, H. (2022). Can professional learning communities promote teacher innovation? A multilevel moderated mediation analysis. Teaching and Teacher Education, 109, Article 103571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103571
Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363. https://doi.org/10.1086/226550
Mifsud, D. (2024). A systematic review of school distributed leadership: Exploring research purposes, concepts and approaches in the field between 2010 and 2022. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 56(2), 154–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2022.2158181
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412995658
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Nucci, L., Narvaez, D., & Krettenauer, T. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of moral and character education (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203114896
OECD. (2019). OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030: OECD Learning Compass 2030. OECD Publishing.
Özdemir, N., Kılınç, A. Ç., Polatcan, M., Turan, S., & Bellibaş, M. Ş. (2023). Exploring teachers’ instructional practice profiles: Do distributed leadership and teacher collaboration make a difference? Educational Administration Quarterly, 59(2), 255–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X231159092
Panadero, E., Brown, G. T. L., & Strijbos, J.-W. (2016). The future of student self-assessment: A review of known unknowns and potential directions. Educational Psychology Review, 28, 803–830. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9350-2
Panadero, E., Jonsson, A., & Botella, J. (2017). Effects of self-assessment on self-regulated learning and self-efficacy: Four meta-analyses. Educational Research Review, 22, 74–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.08.004
Paris, D. (2012). Culturally sustaining pedagogy: A needed change in stance, terminology, and practice. Educational Researcher, 41(3), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X12441244
Polatcan, M. (2024). An exploration of the relationship between distributed leadership, teacher agency, and professional learning in Turkey. Professional Development in Education, 50(4), 789–803. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1905050
Priestley, M., Biesta, G., & Robinson, S. (2015). Teacher agency: An ecological approach. Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474219426
Putra, E. S. I., & Muthalib, A. (2026). Transformative social studies education under the Merdeka Belajar framework: Activity theory and the negotiation of local wisdom knowledge in multicultural classrooms. JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia, 6(2), 197–210. https://doi.org/10.62159/jpi.v6i2.2467
Putri, H. K., Risdianto, E., & Ramandani, A. A. (2025). Enhancing social studies achievement through the Make a Match cooperative model: The moderating role of student motivation. Digital Learning, Social Science, and Life-course Studies, 1(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.70211/disolife.v1i1.258
Rachmawati, N., Marini, A., Nafiah, M., & Nurasiah, I. (2022). Projek penguatan profil pelajar Pancasila dalam implementasi kurikulum prototipe di sekolah penggerak jenjang sekolah dasar. Jurnal Basicedu, 6(3), 3613–3625. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i3.2714
Rokhman, R., Diana, N., Etek, Y., Koderi, K., & Sufian, M. (2024). The development of a scientific-based academic supervision management model. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(2), 1383–1398. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.4626
Rusnaini, R., Raharjo, R., Suryaningsih, A., & Noventari, W. (2021). Intensifikasi profil pelajar Pancasila dan implikasinya terhadap ketahanan pribadi siswa. Jurnal Ketahanan Nasional, 27(2), 230–249. https://doi.org/10.22146/jkn.67613
Shal, T., Ghamrawi, N., Abu-Tineh, A., Al-Shaboul, Y. M., & Sellami, A. (2024). Teacher leadership and virtual communities: Unpacking teacher agency and distributed leadership. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 15025–15042. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12446-5
Sidik, R. M., Gunawan, I., Haqiqi, I. N., & Harnika, G. N. (2025). Learning strategies of problem-based learning and project-based learning on students’ programming skills: A bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review. Digital Learning, Social Science, and Life-course Studies, 1(2), 148–165. https://doi.org/10.70211/disolife.v1i2.155
Smith, G. A. (2002). Place-based education: Learning to be where we are. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(8), 584–594. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170208300806
Sokhanvar, Z., Salehi, K., & Sokhanvar, F. (2021). Advantages of authentic assessment for improving the learning experience and employability skills of higher education students: A systematic literature review. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 70, Article 101030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101030
Spillane, J. P., Reiser, B. J., & Reimer, T. (2002). Policy implementation and cognition: Reframing and refocusing implementation research. Review of Educational Research, 72(3), 387–431. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543072003387
Tao, J., & Gao, X. (2017). Teacher agency and identity commitment in curricular reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63, 346–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.010
Ulandari, S., & Dwi, D. (2023). Implementasi proyek penguatan profil pelajar Pancasila sebagai upaya menguatkan karakter peserta didik. Jurnal Moral Kemasyarakatan, 8(2), 116–132. https://doi.org/10.21067/jmk.v8i2.8309
Vangrieken, K., Dochy, F., Raes, E., & Kyndt, E. (2015). Teacher collaboration: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 15, 17–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.04.002
Veugelers, W. (2021). How globalisation influences perspectives on citizenship education: From the social and political to the cultural and moral. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 51(8), 1174–1189. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1716307
Voogt, J., Pieters, J., & Handelzalts, A. (2016). Teacher collaboration in curriculum design teams: Effects, mechanisms, and conditions. Educational Research and Evaluation, 22(3–4), 121–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2016.1247725
Westphal, J. D., & Zajac, E. J. (2001). Decoupling policy from practice: The case of stock repurchase programs. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46(2), 202–228. https://doi.org/10.2307/2667086
Wiliam, D. (2011). What is assessment for learning? Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2011.03.001
Yan, Z., Panadero, E., Wang, X., & Zhan, Y. (2022). A systematic review on students' perceptions of self-assessment: Usefulness and factors influencing implementation. Educational Psychology Review, 34, 129–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09630-7
Yemini, M., Engel, L., & Ben Simon, A. (2025). Place-based education: A systematic review of literature. Educational Review, 77(2), 640–660. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2023.2177260
Zhang, L., & Ma, Y. (2023). A study of the impact of project-based learning on student learning effects: A meta-analysis study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1202728. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1202728
Copyright (c) 2026 Abdul Hakim Siregar, Amiruddin Siahaan, Selamat Pasaribu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
