Strengthening Character Education through Javanese Unggah-Ungguh Basa: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Character education is a priority in primary education, but the decline in linguistic politeness and cultural values among younger generations highlights the need for approaches based on local wisdom. This study aims to examine the role of Javanese unggah-ungguh basa in strengthening character education through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). This study employed the PRISMA 2020 framework using data from Google Scholar, Scopus, and Dimensions, covering publications from 2020 to 2025. A total of nine empirical studies were analyzed using thematic analysis, supported by simple quantitative frequency analysis. The findings indicate that unggah-ungguh basa contributes to the development of dominant character values, particularly politeness and respect, followed by social awareness, responsibility, and patriotism. Contextual learning, habituation, and teacher modeling were found to be more effective than purely cognitive approaches. Additionally, there is a shift in research focus from language preservation to the integration of character education. This study proposes a cultural-character integration model that emphasizes the relationship between cultural values, contextual learning processes, and student character development. Overall, unggah-ungguh basa has strong potential as an effective and sustainable approach to strengthening character education in primary schools.