Strengthening digital literacy and political culture for gen-Z through Pancasila education learning in higher education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v22i2.89956

Keywords:

Pancasila Education Learning ; Gen-Z ; Digital Political Culture; Digital Political Literacy ; Civic Responsibilities

Abstract

This article reviews the importance of political culture and digital literacy for Generation Z as a prospective demographic group. It examines how Pancasila education contributes to the development of Gen-Z's political culture and literacy in higher education. Using a mixed-method research approach with a sequential transformative strategy model, the study transforms one type of data into another after collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data independently. Research findings indicate that trending topics, viral hashtags, FYP, news feeds, CC, and social media algorithms form the foundation of Gen-Z's digital political literacy and culture. This illustrates that, despite avoiding direct practice, Gen-Z exhibits a keen interest in digital politics. Consequently, Pancasila education provides Gen-Z members with opportunities to become competent political players and participants. The study also shows how Pancasila education incorporates digital-based political literacy and culture by emphasizing civic duties and integrating more "real" materials and ideals. The findings suggest that Pancasila education can enhance Gen-Z's digital political literacy and culture by making the curriculum more relevant to their daily lives and digital experiences. This approach not only strengthens digital literacy but also instills a deep understanding of ethical and responsible citizenship, aligning with the context of nationalism and Indonesian identity. The study concludes that integrating Pancasila values into digital political education is crucial for developing critical thinking skills and fostering civic awareness among Gen-Z, preparing them to navigate the complex digital landscape responsibly.

References

Agus, A. A., Rizal, A., Muhajir, M., & Jamalong, A. (2025). From awareness to action: rethinking high school civic education for the digital generation in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2534156 

Bennett, W. L. (2013). Civic learning in changing democracies: Challenges for citizenship and civic education. Young Citizens and New Media: Learning for Democratic Participation, 59–78. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203941638-5/CIVIC-LEARNING-CHANGING-DEMOCRACIES-LANCE-BENNETT 

Bertulessi, C. (2024). Education and political socialisation in contemporary China: From institutional discourse to teaching materials. In Political Discourse Analysis (pp. 25–41). Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781399523189.003.0002 

Borhan, H. (2025). Civic education as a pathway to inclusive societies: Exploring the role of education in fostering civic and social engagement. In OECD Education Working Papers (Issue 326). Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Bowyer, B., & Kahne, J. (2020). The digital dimensions of civic education: Assessing the effects of learning opportunities. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 69, 101162. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APPDEV.2020.101162 

Buckingham, D. (2019). Teaching media in a “post-truth” age: Fake news, media bias and the challenge for media/digital literacy education. Cultura y Educacion, 31(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2019.1603814 

Bukhari, S. R. H., Khan, H. A., Khan, A. U., Haq, I. U., & Hussian, E. (2024). Political education and civic engagement in Pakistan: A critical analysis of curriculum, pedagogy, and youth participation. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(4), 234–247. https://doi.org/10.55737/QJSSH.V-IV.24274 

Casula, P., & Wong, R. Y. (2025). “I see it, I scroll past it.”: Exploring perceptions of social media political discourse among Gen Z young adult women In the U.S. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1145/3711007 

Costa, J. (2024). Mixed methods in educational large-scale studies: Integrating qualitative perspectives into secondary data analysis. Education Sciences, 14(12), 1347. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121347 

Creswell, J. W. (2017). Research design: Pendekatan metode kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan campuran (4th Edition). Pustaka Pelajar.

Ediyono, S., Septiwiharti, D., & Andarista, R. (2025). Utilization of deep learning for the implementation of pancasila philosophy in pancasila education in christian middle schools. JPPI (Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Indonesia), 11(3), 36–54. https://doi.org/10.29210/020255692 

Farias, C., & Balardini, F. (2019). Teaching social economicsBringing the real world into the classroom and taking the classroom into the real world. International Journal of Social Economics, 46(8), 960–976. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-05-2018-0253 

Fetterman, D. M. (2023). Empowerment evaluation and social justice: Confronting the culture of silence. Guilford Publications.

Gadsden, V. L., Johnson, W. F., & Rahman, S. (2019). Civic knowledge, engagement, and participation narratives of youth of color in urban schools. Peabody Journal of Education, 94(1), 78–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2019.1553585 

Guess, A. M., & Munger, K. (2023). Digital literacy and online political behavior. Political Science Research and Methods, 11(1), 110–128. https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2022.17 

Hasanah, A., & Nurha, N. (2025). Comparative analysis of the use of traditional and digital media in introducing local cultural heritage to the younger generation. Kampret Journal, 4(2), 45–54. https://www.plus62.isha.or.id/index.php/kampret/article/view/255 

Haste, H. (2010). Citizenship education: A critical look at a contested field. In Handbook of research on civic engagement in youth (pp. 161–188). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470767603.ch7 

Jati, W. R. (2024). From millennial to Generation Z: The state of digital literacy among youths dealing with disinformation during elections. Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.7454/jkmi.v13i1.1228 

Jayanti, T., Wuryandani, W., Wibowo, S. E., & Tribrata, J. P. (2025). Optimizing Pancasila Education through modern teaching Materials: A need analysis for effective learning. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i1.6248 

Jia, W., & Huang, X. (2023). literacy and vocational education: Essential skills for the modern workforce. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i5/17080 

Kaplan, Y., & Nowlan, J. (2024). Reflections on practices of everyday awareness and mindfulness with colleagues and students. In Developing pedagogies of compassion in higher education: a practice first approach (pp. 199–221). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67543-0_11 

Keykha, B., & Rezaie Kahkhajaleh, Z. (2024). Digital literacy monitoring of graduate students based on the elements of the UNESCO digital literacy competency framework. Academic Librarianship and Information Research, 58(2), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.22059/JLIB.2024.370073.1718 

Kiess, J. (2022). Learning by doing: The impact of experiencing democracy in education on political trust and participation. Politics, 42(1), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263395721990287 

Kranich, N. (2024). Civic literacy: Reimagining a role for libraries. Https://Doi.Org/10.1086/727809, 94(1), 4–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/727809 

Lee, H. (2021). John Dewey and global citizenship education: Beyond American and Postcolonial nationalism in an age of cultural hybridity on JSTOR. Education and Culture. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27140380 

Lin, A. (2015). Citizenship education in American schools and its role in developing civic engagement: a review of the research. Educational Review, 67(1), 35–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2013.813440 

Martínez-Bravo, M. C., Sádaba Chalezquer, C., & Serrano-Puche, J. (2022). Dimensions of digital literacy in the 21st century competency frameworks. Sustainability, 14(3), 1867. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031867 

Memon, S., Ishak, M. S., & Abdul Hamid, N. (2018). The effects of political socialization agents on Pakistani youths political participation. Jurnal Komunikasi, Malaysian Journal of Communication, 34(2), 121–136. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2018-3402-08 

Nazlım, Ö. F., & Özgen, N. (2025). Perceived information and disinformation of generation Z in the context of the changing consumer society: A research on news consumption behavior on social media. Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication, 15(1), 309–332. https://doi.org/10.7456/tojdac.1569297 

Nogueira, V. B., Teixeira, D. G., de Lima, I. A. C. N., Moreira, M. V. C., de Oliveira, B. S. C., Pedrosa, I. M. B., de Queiroz, J. W., & Jeronimo, S. M. B. (2022). Towards an inclusive digital literacy: An experimental intervention study in a rural area of Brazil. Education and Information Technologies, 27(2), 2807–2834. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10711-z 

Nurdin, A., Paryati, A. N., Rizqi, S. K., Hermawan, I. H., & Handayani, T. Q. (2025). The role of social media in political education and election socialization among generation Z. The Journal of Academic Science, 2(2), 566–577. https://doi.org/10.59613/2w7p1883 

Paltiel, M., Cheong, M., Coghlan, S., & Lederman, R. (2023). Approaches and models for teaching digital ethics in information systems courses–a review of the literature. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 27. https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v27i0.4517 

Ribeiro, N., Neves, T., & Menezes, I. (2017). An organization of the theoretical perspectives in the field of civic and political participation: contributions to citizenship education. Journal of Political Science Education, 13(4), 426–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2017.1354765 

Salman Salleh @ Abdul Latif, A. S., Aqilah Megat Zambri, W. A., Abdul Latiff, D. I., & Kamal, S. (2023). Media literacy and digital citizenship in the era of social media. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(11). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i11/19392 

Sarid, A., & Goldman, D. (2021). A value-based framework connecting environmental citizenship and change agents for sustainability—Implications for education for environmental citizenship. Sustainability, 13(8), 4338. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084338 

Shahi, R., & Chaudhary, B. P. (2025). Digital transformation: Adoption of information technology systems in higher education institutions of Nepal. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2524601 

Shek, D. T. L., Ma, C. M. S., & Yang, Z. (2020). Transformation and development of university students through service-learning: A corporate-community-university partnership initiative in Hong Kong (Project WeCan). Applied Research in Quality of Life, 15(5), 1375–1393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-019-09738-9 

Solihat, M. (2024). Gen Z communication and political participation in digital media. International Conference on Business, Economics, Social Sciences, and Humanities-Humanities and Social Sciences Track (ICOBEST-HSS 2024), 186–194. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-269-9_17 

Stellmann, E., & Song, L. (2024). Essential elements of digital citizenship: Insights from the literature. TechTrends, 68(4), 749–760. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-024-00985-8 

Strandbrink, P. (2017). Civic education and liberal democracy. In Civic Education and Liberal Democracy (pp. 35–70). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55798-4_2 

Tiara, M., Ananda, A., Montessori, M., & Irwan, I. (2025). Civic education and the existence of ethnic identity of descent. Educational Process International Journal, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2025.16.257 

Tiara, M., Irwan, I., & Muhajir, M. (2024). Penguatan civic literacy dalam membentuk ketahanan guru PPKn. Journal of Civic Education, 7(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.24036/jce.v7i1.1091 

Tomczyk, Ł. (2025). AI in education-mapping theoretical frameworks for digital literacy: DigComp 2.2, AI literacy competency framework, AI literacy TPACK, the machine learning education framework, the UNESCO AI competency framework for and teachers and other innovative approaches. New Media Pedagogy: Research Trends, Methodological Challenges, and Successful Implementations Third International Conference, 173–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95627-0_12 

van Ingen, E., & van der Meer, T. (2016). Schools or pools of democracy? A longitudinal test of the relation between civic participation and political socialization. Political Behavior, 38(1), 83–103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-015-9307-7 

Venus, A., Intyaswati, D., Ayuningtyas, F., & Lestari, P. (2025). Political participation in the digital age: Impact of influencers and advertising on Generation Z. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2520063 

Virgiawan, I., & Sundawa, D. (2022). Building civic responsibility and democratic attitudes of students in learning Pancasila and civic education. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220108.030 

Wallwey, C., & Kajfez, R. L. (2023). Quantitative research artifacts as qualitative data collection techniques in a mixed methods research study. Methods in Psychology, 8, 100115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metip.2023.100115 

Wheeler-Bell, Q. (2014). Educating the spirit of activism: A “critical” civic education. Educational Policy, 28(3), 463–486. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904812465113 

Wijaya, M. M., & Amalia, H. S. (2024). Enhancing political participation through civic education: integrating digital and social media for peaceful elections among generation Z in Indonesia. Global Educational Research Review, 1(2), 92–99. https://doi.org/10.71380/GERR-08-2024-9 

Downloads

Published

2025-09-26

How to Cite

Muhajir, Abdul Latief, & Monica Tiara. (2025). Strengthening digital literacy and political culture for gen-Z through Pancasila education learning in higher education. Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 22(2), 524–534. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v22i2.89956

Issue

Section

Original Research Article

Citation Check