The Integration of Aswaja NU Values and Kohlberg's Theory as the Foundation of Early Childhood Moral Education in Indonesia: A Conceptual Study
This article synthesizes the theory of moral development according to Lawrence Kohlberg with the values of Aswaja NU and the practice of guidance-counseling (BK) as a conceptual model of early childhood moral education in Indonesia. The purpose of the paper is to formulate an integrative framework that combines moral rationality (Kohlberg) with the spiritual-cultural dimension of Aswaja NU through the medium of implementing BK services in PAUD and elementary schools. The method used is a systematic review based on PRISMA 2015–2025 on reputable databases, followed by screening, quality assessment, and content analysis with thematic coding of 35 journal articles and 5 relevant book chapters. The results show: (1) the child's preconventional stage becomes the foundation of moral reasoning that needs to be stimulated through social-reflective experiences; (2) Aswaja values (tawassuth, tawazun, tasamuh, i'tidal, amar ma'ruf nahi munkar, rahmah) complement the individualistic-secular bias in the Kohlberg framework; (3) classical, group, and individual BK services are effective in internalizing values through dialogue, example, habituation, and behavior reinforcement. Conclusion: Kohlberg-Aswaja-BK integration produces a holistic, contextual, and applicative "Aswaja-Based Moral Counseling" model that is holistic, contextual, and applicative to strengthen character education and religious moderation in early childhood in Indonesia.
Downloads
Aisyah, N. N., & Fitriatin, N. (2025). Moral and Ethical Crisis Among Indonesia's Young Generation in the Perspective of the Teacher Profession. Indonesian Journal of Education and Learning (JPPI), 5(1), 329–337. https://doi.org/10.53299/jppi.v5i1.908
Akmaliah, W. (2022). RECLAIMING MODERATE ISLAM IN NAHDLATUL ULAMA Challenging the Dominant Religious Authority in Digital Platform. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 16(1), 223–248. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2022.16.1.223-248
Alahmari, S. A., & Rahma, H. S. (2025). Optimization of Counseling Services for Early Childhood with Special Needs: A SWOT Analysis. Educational Process: International Journal, 16. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2025.16.224
Arifianto, A. R. (2021). From ideological to political sectarianism: Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, and the state in Indonesia. Religion, State and Society, 49(2), 126–141. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2021.1902247
Arifiyanti, N. (2024). Evaluating Kohlberg's Theory in the Context of Indonesian. 2(2).
Benu, M. W. (2025). ETHICS EDUCATION AS A SOLUTION TO THE MORAL CRISIS OF TEENAGERS TODAY. Journal of Educational Sciences, Vol. 3, No. 1.
Bernard, M., & Terjesen, M. D. (2021). Rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral approaches to child and adolescent mental health: Theory, practice, research, applications (p. 543). Springer; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53901-6
Burhani, A. N. (2012). Al-Tawassuṭ wa-l I'tidāl: The NU and Moderatism in Indonesian Islam. Asian Journal of Social Science, 40(5–6), 564–581. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685314-12341262
Cholimah, N., Tjiptasari, F., Asih, S., & Hanum, A. L. (2024). A Comparative Study of Moral Values Education in Public and Religion-Based Kindergartens in Yogyakarta. Golden Age: Scientific Journal of Early Childhood Growth and Development, 9(4), 575–587. https://doi.org/10.14421/jga.2024.94-01
Cottone, R. R., Tarvydas, V. M., & Hartley, M. T. (2021). Ethics and Decision Making in Counseling and Psychotherapy (5th ed., pp. 978-0-8261-3529–2). Springer Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826135292
Craig, G. J., & Dunn, W. L. (2010). Understanding human development (2nd ed). Pearson Education/Prentice Hall.
Craig, R. (1974). Lawrence Kohlberg and Moral Development: Some Reflections. Educational Theory, 24(2), 121–129. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5446.1974.tb00629.x
Elmansyah, T., & Sutoyo, A. (2015). HUMANISTIC-BASED PEER COUNSELING MODEL TO IMPROVE STUDENTS' INTERPERSONAL SKILLS.
Ferdian Utama & Leli Fertiliana Dea. (2023). Alternative Early Childhood Moral Development: Parenting through the Local Wisdom of Lampung People. Journal of Childhood Development, 3(2), 180–187. https://doi.org/10.25217/jcd.v3i2.3302
Flynn, E. E. (2022). Enacting relationships through dialogic storytelling. Linguistics and Education, 71, 101075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101075
Haq, D. A., Amirudin, Y., & Syafii, I. (2024). REINTERPRETATION OF ASWAJA VALUES AS A BASIS FOR STRENGTHENING PLURALISM IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY. An Nahdhoh Journal of Islamic Studies, Volume 4 (Number 1).
Isom, M., Sopandi, E., & Siswanto, A. (2021). Implementation of Religious Education in Character Values in Early Childhood Education Institutions. EDUCATION: Journal of Religious and Religious Education Research, 19(3), 303–316. https://doi.org/10.32729/edukasi.v19i3.784
Jimenez, M. E., Mendelsohn, A. L., Lin, Y., Shelton, P., & Reichman, N. (2019). Early Shared Reading Is Associated with Less Harsh Parenting. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 40(7), 530–537. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000000687
Kohlberg, L. (1981). a Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice.
Latif, A., Ubaidillah, & Mundir. (2023). Embedding Aswaja Values in Strengthening Religious Moderation in Students. Munaddhomah: Journal of Islamic Education Management, 4(3), 601–609. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v4i3.521
Leonia, R. A., & Candra, K. I. (2025). Exploring Moral Development in Early Childhood: Integrating Piaget, Kohlberg, Hoffman, and Haidt Perspectives through Local Wisdom Project-Based Learning.
Levitt, D. H., & Aligo, A. A. (2013). Moral Orientation as a Component of Ethical Decision Making. Counseling and Values, 58(2), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-007X.2013.00033.x
Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for Character. New York: Bantam Books.
Lyons, M. E. (2024). Within-Classroom Play: Cultivating Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness During the Transition to Kindergarten. Early Childhood Education Journal, 52(1), 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01395-2
Ma, H. K. (2013). The moral development of the child: An integrated model. Frontiers in Public Health, 1, 57. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2013.00057
Maftuhin, A. (2021). Mosques for All: Nahdlatul Ulama and the Promotion of the Rights of People with Disabilities. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 15(2), 247–270. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2021.15.2.247-270
Maghfiroh, M., Iryani, E., Yani, M. T., Zaini, N., & Mahfud, C. (2024). Promoting Green Islamic Boarding School: Change, Challenge and Contribution of Nahdlatul Ulama in Indonesia. Nazhruna: Journal of Islamic Education, 7(2), 409–435. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v7i2.4668
The Rise of Child Pornography Content, KPAI Urges Parents to Be Vigilant and Play an Active Role. (2025, January 10). Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI). https://www.kpai.go.id/publikasi/maraknya-konten-pornografi-anak-kpai-desak-orang-tua-waspada-dan-berperan-aktif
Maree, N., & Maree, J. G. (2021). The influence of group life-design-based counselling on learners' academic self-construction: A collective case study. South African Journal of Education, 41(3). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v41n3a2051
Margaretha, L., & Haryono, M. (2024). Implementation of Moral and Religious Values in Early Childhood. Journal of Early Childhood Development and Education, 1(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.58723/junior.v1i1.109
McLoughlin, S., & Kristjánsson, K. (2025). Virtues as protective factors for adolescent mental health. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 35(1), e13004. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13004
Merlin‐Knoblich, C., Graham, B., Clark, S., Song, S., & Harper, S. (2025). An Exploration of the Impact of the School Counseling Equity Fellowship on School Counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 103(4), 442–456. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12566
Miller, T. W. (2023). Character Education Update: Building a Buffer Against School Violence. In T. W. Miller (Ed.), School Violence and Primary Prevention (pp. 605–618). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13134-9_24
Muallim Rıfat Eğitim Fakültesi, & Yalçın, V. (2021). Moral Development in Early Childhood: Benevolence and Responsibility in the Context of Children's Perceptions and Reflections. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 16(4), 140–163. https://doi.org/10.29329/epasr.2021.383.8
Muhaimin, A., & et al. (2022). The Implementation of Triple T Core Values into the Organization of Nadhatul Ulama: Lessons from Mbah for Developing World Peace Education. Volume 2, 300–311.
Narvaez, D., & Lapsley, D. K. (2009). Chapter 8 Moral Identity, Moral Functioning, and the Development of Moral Character. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 50, pp. 237–274). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(08)00408-8
Nur Fatimah, B. A., Handaka, I. B., & Utomo, N. B. (2022). Conceptual early childhood guidance and counseling. THERAPEUTICS: Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 6(1), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.26539/teraputik.611078
Nurhayati, S. R. (2006). A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF LAWRENCE KOHLBERG'S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT. 02.
Nurjamilah, U. (2024). Implementation of Islamic Religious Education Values in Early Childhood Moral and Religious Development. Journal of Childhood Development, 4(2), 510–521. https://doi.org/10.25217/jcd.v4i2.5136
Palenewen, E., & Rozie, F. (2024). Values Of Character Education Children Aged 4-6 Years On The Banjar. Early Childhood Education.
THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER IS BASED ON THE VALUES OF AHLUSSUNNAH WAL-JAMA'AH AN-NAHDLIYYAH IN BUILDING RELIGIOUS MODERATION AT THE RAUDLATUL MUSLIMIN BOJONEGORO ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOL. (2023). MAULANA MALIK IBRAHIM STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALANG.
Ponzetti, J. J. (2015). Evidence-based approaches to sexuality education: A global perspective (p. 384). Taylor and Francis; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315755250
Prayito, S., Rusdianah, E., & Yuliana, F. (2024). Volume 6 Number 5, October 2024 e-ISSN 2715-6885; p-ISSN 2714-9757 http://jurnal.globalhealthsciencegroup.com/index.php/JPPP. Sec. 6(5).
Rest, J. R. (1988). The Legacy of Lawrence Kohlberg. Counseling and Values, 32(3), 156–162. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-007X.1988.tb00714.x
Rifa'i, M., Ahid, N., & Ayad, N. (2025). Aswaja-Based Local Curriculum Management Strategies in Maintaining Islamic Identity in the Globalization Era (A Case Study at MA Ma’arif Pare). International Journal of Religion and Social Community, 3(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.30762/ijoresco.v3i1.3588
Rukiyati, R., Siswoyo, D., & Hendrowibowo, L. (2020). Moral Education of Kindergarten Children in Rural Areas: A Case Study in Indonesia. International Journal of Innovation, 14(3).
Ruppert, J.-J. (2022). Luxembourg: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" or "Is There Really a Land Where the Dreams of Social Justice and Equity Do Come True?" In C. Enoch, C. Krause, R. Garcia-Murias, & J. Porath (Ed.), Vocational Guidance in Europe (pp. 167–180). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06592-7_8
Salik, M. (2019). Conserving moderate Islam in Indonesia: An analysis of Muwafiq's speech on online media. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 13(2), 373–394. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2019.13.2.373-394
Santrock, J. W. (1994). Child development (6th ed). Brown & Benchmark Publishers.
Schuhmann, C. (2016). Counseling in a Complex World: Advancing Relational Well-Being. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 29(3), 318–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2015.1102109
Shih, Y.-H. (2022). Moral education in Taiwanese preschools: Importance, concepts and methods. Policy Futures in Education, 20(6), 717–730. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103211040512
Sinclair, E. M., McCleery, E. J., Koepsell, L., Zuckerman, K. E., & Stevenson, E. B. (2019). Shared Reading Practices and Early Literacy Promotion in the First Year of Life. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 40(7), 538–546. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000000690
Slaten, C. D., Lee, J., Wachter‐Morris, C., Williams, M. S., & Huynh, J. (2024). School counselors in the classroom: A systematic review. Journal of Counseling & Development, 102(4), 415–430. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12522
Soemantri, D., Fahrizal, A. Y., & et al., A. A. H. (2024). Aswaja An-Nahdliyah Typology & Amaliyah Aswaja An-Nahdliyah (1 ed.). Litnus.
Staquf, Y. Q. (2020). PBNU_Perjuangan-Besar-Nahdlatul-Ulama.
Sulastri. (2024). THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY IN INSTILLING THE VALUES OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN ADOLESCENTS (CASE STUDY OF BEKUTUK VILLAGE, CENTRAL JAVA). UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.
Suyadi, S. (2024). Integration of Islamic Education and Neuroscience and Its Implications for Basic Education (PGMI). Al-Bidayah : Journal of Islamic Basic Education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.14421/al-bidayah.v4i1.9003
Teng, J. (2021). The Moral Education Strategy to College Students under the Prevention and Control of the Epidemic. 2021 2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Image Processing, Electronics and Computers, 330–334. https://doi.org/10.1145/3452446.3452532
Tilaar, H. A. R. (1999). Education, culture, and the Indonesian civil society: Indonesian education reform policies for the Third Millennium. Teenager Rosdakarya ; Institute for the Development of Educational Management, IKIP Jakarta.
TV, M. (2025). Love Rejected, Vocational School Students in Lamongan Killed His Female Friend. https://www.metrotvnews.com. https://www.metrotvnews.com/read/bVDCjL68-cinta-ditolak-siswa-smk-di-lamongan-bunuh-teman-wanitanya
Uchitel, J., Alden, E., Bhutta, Z. A., Cavallera, V., Lucas, J., Oberklaid, F., Patterson, J., Raghavan, C., Richter, L., Rikard, B., Russell, R. R., & Mikati, M. A. (2022). Role of Pediatricians, Pediatric Associations, and Academic Departments in Ensuring Optimal Early Childhood Development Globally: Position Paper of the International Pediatric Association. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 43(8), e546–e558. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001112
Vandermaas-Peeler, M., Mischka, M., & Sands, K. (2019). 'What do you notice?' Parent guidance of preschoolers' inquiry in activities at home. Early Child Development and Care, 189(2), 220–232. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2017.1310724
Wadipalapa, R. P. (2021). Countering the Communist Imaginary: The Role of Nahdlatul Ulama in Indonesia's 2014 and 2019 Presidential Elections. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 43(3), 557–584. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1355/cs43-3e
Xing, W., & Zheng, Y. (2025). Ethical dilemmas in the development of college psychological counseling under the background of cultural integration. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1636563. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1636563
Yubero, V. M., Herrán Gascón, A. H., Herrero, P. R., & Ambit, S. R. (2022). How do School Counsellors Perceive Death Education? A Qualitative Study. Journal of Education, 2022(396), 255–278. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2022-396-537
Zainuddin. (2012). Implementation of Democratic and Humanistic Values in Islamic Education. Journal of Vision of Education, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.26418/jvip.v9i3.424
Copyright (c) 2025 Dinar Leksana, Najlatun Naqiyah, Ari Khusumadewi, Shopyan Jepri Kurniawan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Authors certify that the work reported here has not been published before and contains no materials the publication of which would violate any copyright or other personal or proprietary right of any person or entity.
- Authors transfer or license the copyright of publishing to Jurnal Pendidikan Karakter to publish the article in any media format, to share, to disseminate, to index, and to maximize the impact of the article in any databases.
- Authors hereby agree to transfer a copyright for publishing to Jurnal Pendidikan Karakter a Publisher of the manuscript.
- Authors reserve the following:
- all proprietary rights other than copyright such as patent rights;
- the right to use all or part of this article in future works of our own such as in books and lectures;
- use for presentation in a meeting or conference and distributing copies to attendees;
- use for internal training by author's company;
- distribution to colleagues for their research use;
- use in a subsequent compilation of the author's works;
- inclusion in a thesis or dissertation;
- reuse of portions or extracts from the article in other works (with full acknowledgement of final article);
- preparation of derivative works (other than commercial purposes) (with full acknowledgement of final article); and
- voluntary posting on open web sites operated by author or author's institution for scholarly purposes, but it should follow the open access license of Creative Common CC BY-SA License.
All posts that exist in JURNAL PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER is not a reflection of the attitudes and opinions of the Editorial Board of JURNAL PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER. The responsibility for the contents or the result of writing still lies on the authors.

Jurnal Kependidikan by https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/jpka/ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




