Implementing the Pancasila Student Profile Project for Character Development in Elementary Schools

Character decline among Indonesian youth amid rapid globalization underscores the urgency of effective character education at the elementary level. The Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project (P5) within Indonesia's Merdeka Curriculum represents a strategic response, yet its implementation in rural, resource-constrained schools remains underexplored. This study analyzes P5 implementation strategies, identifies supporting and inhibiting factors, and evaluates outcomes at SDN Bojong Koneng, a rural public elementary school in Cianjur, West Java. A qualitative case study design was employed, involving 12 purposively selected participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document review, then analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña's interactive model. Findings reveal that a systematic seven-stage planning process, principal leadership, teacher creativity, and parental involvement effectively fostered mutual cooperation (gotong royong), discipline, and self-confidence. Creativity and critical reasoning dimensions remained underdeveloped. Inhibiting factors included limited instructional time, inadequate infrastructure, and variable student motivation. P5 implementation is effective in rural settings when relational capital compensates for material resource deficits. Future research should employ multi-site longitudinal designs to validate and generalize these findings.