Strengthening pre-service teachers' characters through Gusjigang local wisdom: A phenomenological study in Indonesian higher education

Abstract

Despite growing interest in integrating local wisdom into teacher education, little research explains how it is institutionalized as an integrated character education ecosystem and how pre-service teachers experience it. This study examines how Gusjigang local wisdom (comprising Gus, Ji, and Gang) is institutionalized as character education for pre-service primary teachers at Universitas Muria Kudus, Indonesia. The study adopted a qualitative phenomenological design to explore participants' lived experiences and the factors influencing character internalization. Data were collected from twelve purposively selected participants through participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, and analyzed using the interactive model. The findings show that Gusjigang operates as an integrated character ecosystem rather than a stand-alone course. Institutional integration in semester learning plans, lecturer role modeling, and peer scaffolding supported internalization. Cultural dissonance among non-local students, uncritical dependence on mobile devices and generative artificial intelligence, and low tolerance for iterative critique constrained the process. The study contributes a context-sensitive conceptual model demonstrating how moral, epistemic, and productive dimensions interact to strengthen future teachers' professional character, extending the theoretical understanding of local wisdom-based character education while informing its implementation in teacher education.