From Skills to Humanity: An Ontological Study of Elementary Education in the Framework of Educating Persons
Keywords:
Educating persons, Ontological narrowing, Critical reflection
Abstract
This study examines the implicit ontological shift in primary education from educating persons to training for skills, where success is increasingly measured through practical activities, competencies, and measurable outcomes rather than the development of reflective awareness and student autonomy. Drawing on qualitative case study research at SD Prestasi Global Depok, this article analyzes how project-based learning practices—including STEAM, the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project (P5), and environment-based learning—shape educational orientation and identifies the depth of reflective dimensions within these processes. Using an ontological analytical framework informed by Richard Pring's philosophy of education, data were collected through in-depth observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentary analysis. The findings reveal that learning is exceptionally strong in the activity dimension (doing) yet critically weak in the reflection dimension (reflecting). Activities such as Ramadhan Delight, eco-enzyme production, ecobrick crafting, and STEAM projects successfully develop practical skills, student engagement, and affective values including empathy and care. However, these values remain at the normative-emotional level and have not evolved into critical consciousness of social, economic, and ecological structures. Students comprehend what should be done without being guided to understand why phenomena occur. These findings indicate ontological narrowing in education, where learning tends to reproduce reality rather than critique it. The study concludes that educational transformation must be ontological—shifting orientation from mere activity toward the formation of reflective subjects capable of understanding, evaluating, and transforming reality critically.
References
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Kamayanti, A. (2020). Vocational Accounting Education: Are We Producing Labours or Architects of Civilization? https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.200415.038
Karakoç, S., & Yenen, E. T. (2023). The Educational Beliefs of Academicians Taught ın Health Departments and Their Behaviors to Support Learning Authority. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, (58), 2309–2325. https://doi.org/10.53444/deubefd.1256234
Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press.
Kumral, O. (2022). Primary School Teachers’ Educational Thoughts. Education Quarterly Reviews, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.02.476
Li, Z., Zhang, Y., Yu, M., Zhang, Y., Wang, X., Wu, Z., & Xie, L. (2021). STEAM Course Development and Design Based on Design Thinking: A Case Study on “Self-Induction Demonstrator.” Research in Education Assessment and Learning, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.37906/real.2021.5
Malagola, Y. (2023). STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) Implementation and Challenges in Elementary Schools in West Java. Official Conference Proceedings of The Asian Conference on Education & International Development 2023, 763–772. https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/aceid2023/ACEID2023_68772.pdf
Martin, J. J. (2022). Self, Reality, Knowledge and Theory: Is Social Constructionism Antithetical to Sport and Exercise Psychology Research? Psychology, 13(09), 1353–1390. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2022.139088
Matu, J. B., & Paik, E. J. (2021). Generic Skills Development in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and Graduate Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Gulf Education and Social Policy Review (Gespr), 2(1), 69–90. https://doi.org/10.18502/gespr.v2i1.9309
Parsak, B., Bilir, F., Dinç, Z. F., & Saraç, L. (2024). The Relationship Between Philosophical Tendencies and Teaching Style Preferences of Physical Education Teacher Candidates. Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 35(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.17644/sbd.1374112
Prasetya, A., Fitri, A. Z., & Aziz, A. R. A. (2024). Philosophy and Madzhab of Development Islamic Education Curriculum. Progres Pendidikan, 5(2), 126–133. https://doi.org/10.29303/prospek.v5i2.404
Pring, R. (2013). Philosophy of Education: Aims, Theory, Common Sense, and Research. Bloomsbury Academic.
Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., & Alsina, ́Àngel. (2022). Networking Between Ethnomathematics, STEAM Education, and the Globalized Approach to Analyze Mathematical Connections in Daily Practices. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 18(3), em2085. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/11710
Rosbiono Kartamiharja, M. (2025). Integrating Eco-Pedagogy and STEAM in Elementary Science: Mixed-Methods Evidence from Indonesian Schools. International Journal of Education and Emerging Practices, 1(2), 42–71. https://doi.org/10.63236/injeep.1.2.3
Safrizal, I. (2022). Examining Philosophical Views Underlying the Design of English Teacher’s Lesson Plan and the Teaching Materials. Elt Echo the Journal of English Language Teaching in Foreign Language Context, 7(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.24235/eltecho.v7i1.9722
Sapkota, K., & Paudyal, N. (2021). Implications of Key Philosophical Assumptions and Paradigms in Geography Teaching and Research. The Third Pole Journal of Geography Education, 83–100. https://doi.org/10.3126/ttp.v21i01.41620
Shi, Y., & Rao, L. (2022). Construction of STEAM Graded Teaching System Using Backpropagation Neural Network Model Under Ability Orientation. Scientific Programming, 2022, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7792943
Spirov, Kr. M., Dobreva, J. К., & Ilieva, M. К. (2022). Stem Training – A Formula of Success. Scientific Bulletin of KRHPA, (15), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.32782/2410-2075-2022-15.19
Thoriquttyas, T., Nasih, A. M., Sultoni, A., & Yani, A. (2021). Malay, Islam, Beraja and the [Islamic] Educational Philosophy in Brunei Darussalam. Edukasia Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, 16(2), 193. https://doi.org/10.21043/edukasia.v16i2.11834
Van, K., Tasawar, S., Brendel, E. B. K., Law, C., Mahajan, A., Brownell‐Riddell, C., Diamond, N., Ritchie, K., & Monk, J. M. (2024). Using a ‘Students as Partners’ Model to Develop an Authentic Assessment Promoting Employability Skills in Undergraduate Life Science Education. Febs Open Bio, 15(3), 506–522. https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.13941
Wardani, R. P., Fitriyah, C. Z., Rofiq, A., Hartanto, W., & Ardhyantama, V. (2025). STEAM in the Frame of Independent Curriculum in Elementary School. STEAM Journal for Elementary School Education, 1(1), 33–44. https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/sjese/article/view/40297
Yolcu, E., & Sarı, M. (2022). An Investigation of Preservice Teachers’ Views on Profession and Educational Philosophy Beliefs. Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 9(1), 286–301. https://doi.org/10.21666/muefd.981487
Zhao, S., Yi, L., Fan, P., & Wu, S. (2024). Advancements and Transformations in Educational System Reforms. SHS Web of Conferences, 190, 01003. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202419001003
Amodu, A., Ibironke, O. E., & Ologbosere, O. (2023). Curriculum Reform: An Imperative for Cross-Boundary Employability. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 4(4), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0281
Andersson, A. B., Barone, C., & Hällsten, M. (2023). Are Upper-Secondary Track Decisions Risky? Evidence From Sweden on the Assumptions of Risk-Aversion Models. Rationality and Society, 35(3), 311–337. https://doi.org/10.1177/10434631231162212
Başaran, M., & Candan, F. (2023). Doğan Cüceloğlu’s Philosophy of Education in Context of His Speeches and Writing Works. E-Kafkas Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 10(1), 139–155. https://doi.org/10.30900/kafkasegt.1144824
Buch‐Hansen, H. (2022). Contending Philosophy of Social Science Perspectives: A Flexible Typology. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 53(2), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12359
Buriro, A. A., Ednut, N., & Khatoon, Z. (2021). Philosophical Underpinning and Phenomenology Approach in Social Science Research. Asia-Pacific - Annual Research Journal of Far East & South East Asia, 38, 237–254. https://doi.org/10.47781/asia-pacific.vol38.iss0.2526
Carter, C., Barnett, H., Burns, K., Cohen, N., Durall, E., Lordick, D., Nack, F., Newman, A., & Ussher, S. (2021). Defining STEAM Approaches for Higher Education. European Journal of Stem Education, 6(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/11354
Celik, Ş. N. (2023). Critical Pedagogy in Turkish Education System: Academicians’ Opinions. International Journal of Educational Research Review, 8(4), 916–931. https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.1346303
Chaaban, Y., Qadhi, S., & Du, X. (2021). Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Learner Agency Working in Teams in a STEAM-Based Course. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 17(7), em1980. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/10978
Choirunnisa, N. L., Suryanti, S., Rahmawati, D., & Mulyani, M. (2023). Effectiveness of STEAM Learning Based on “Robotis” Projects to Improve Science Literacy of Elementary School Students. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 9(6), 4836–4841. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v9i6.3524
Cullen, S. (2022). Pieces of a Jigsaw: Developing a Theoretical Framework for Research in Religious Education. Journal of Religious Education, 70(2), 191–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-022-00168-8
Daubney, K. (2021). “Teaching Employability Is Not My Job!”: Redefining Embedded Employability From Within the Higher Education Curriculum. Higher Education Skills and Work-Based Learning, 12(1), 92–106. https://doi.org/10.1108/heswbl-07-2020-0165
Diyanti, Y., & Zuhdi, D. (2020). Teaching English to Young Learners Practicum Program: Do Philosophical Foundations Matter? Journal of English Education and Teaching, 4(3), 294–309. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.3.294-309
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum.
Habermas, J. (1984). The Theory of Communicative Action: Reason and the Rationalization of Society (Vol. 1). Beacon Press.
Hyde, B. (2021). Critical Discourse and Critical Reflection in Mezirow’s Theory of Transformative Learning: A Dialectic Between Ontology and Epistemology (And a Subtext of Reflexivity Mirroring My Own Onto-Epistemological Movement). Adult Education Quarterly, 71(4), 373–388. https://doi.org/10.1177/07417136211003612
Ismiati, N. (2024). Implementing STEAM Education in the Independent Curriculum: Enhancing 21st Century Skills. Tadibia Islamika, 4(1), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.28918/tadibia.v4i1.7238
Kamayanti, A. (2020). Vocational Accounting Education: Are We Producing Labours or Architects of Civilization? https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.200415.038
Karakoç, S., & Yenen, E. T. (2023). The Educational Beliefs of Academicians Taught ın Health Departments and Their Behaviors to Support Learning Authority. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, (58), 2309–2325. https://doi.org/10.53444/deubefd.1256234
Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press.
Kumral, O. (2022). Primary School Teachers’ Educational Thoughts. Education Quarterly Reviews, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.02.476
Li, Z., Zhang, Y., Yu, M., Zhang, Y., Wang, X., Wu, Z., & Xie, L. (2021). STEAM Course Development and Design Based on Design Thinking: A Case Study on “Self-Induction Demonstrator.” Research in Education Assessment and Learning, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.37906/real.2021.5
Malagola, Y. (2023). STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) Implementation and Challenges in Elementary Schools in West Java. Official Conference Proceedings of The Asian Conference on Education & International Development 2023, 763–772. https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/aceid2023/ACEID2023_68772.pdf
Martin, J. J. (2022). Self, Reality, Knowledge and Theory: Is Social Constructionism Antithetical to Sport and Exercise Psychology Research? Psychology, 13(09), 1353–1390. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2022.139088
Matu, J. B., & Paik, E. J. (2021). Generic Skills Development in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and Graduate Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Gulf Education and Social Policy Review (Gespr), 2(1), 69–90. https://doi.org/10.18502/gespr.v2i1.9309
Parsak, B., Bilir, F., Dinç, Z. F., & Saraç, L. (2024). The Relationship Between Philosophical Tendencies and Teaching Style Preferences of Physical Education Teacher Candidates. Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 35(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.17644/sbd.1374112
Prasetya, A., Fitri, A. Z., & Aziz, A. R. A. (2024). Philosophy and Madzhab of Development Islamic Education Curriculum. Progres Pendidikan, 5(2), 126–133. https://doi.org/10.29303/prospek.v5i2.404
Pring, R. (2013). Philosophy of Education: Aims, Theory, Common Sense, and Research. Bloomsbury Academic.
Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., & Alsina, ́Àngel. (2022). Networking Between Ethnomathematics, STEAM Education, and the Globalized Approach to Analyze Mathematical Connections in Daily Practices. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 18(3), em2085. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/11710
Rosbiono Kartamiharja, M. (2025). Integrating Eco-Pedagogy and STEAM in Elementary Science: Mixed-Methods Evidence from Indonesian Schools. International Journal of Education and Emerging Practices, 1(2), 42–71. https://doi.org/10.63236/injeep.1.2.3
Safrizal, I. (2022). Examining Philosophical Views Underlying the Design of English Teacher’s Lesson Plan and the Teaching Materials. Elt Echo the Journal of English Language Teaching in Foreign Language Context, 7(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.24235/eltecho.v7i1.9722
Sapkota, K., & Paudyal, N. (2021). Implications of Key Philosophical Assumptions and Paradigms in Geography Teaching and Research. The Third Pole Journal of Geography Education, 83–100. https://doi.org/10.3126/ttp.v21i01.41620
Shi, Y., & Rao, L. (2022). Construction of STEAM Graded Teaching System Using Backpropagation Neural Network Model Under Ability Orientation. Scientific Programming, 2022, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7792943
Spirov, Kr. M., Dobreva, J. К., & Ilieva, M. К. (2022). Stem Training – A Formula of Success. Scientific Bulletin of KRHPA, (15), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.32782/2410-2075-2022-15.19
Thoriquttyas, T., Nasih, A. M., Sultoni, A., & Yani, A. (2021). Malay, Islam, Beraja and the [Islamic] Educational Philosophy in Brunei Darussalam. Edukasia Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, 16(2), 193. https://doi.org/10.21043/edukasia.v16i2.11834
Van, K., Tasawar, S., Brendel, E. B. K., Law, C., Mahajan, A., Brownell‐Riddell, C., Diamond, N., Ritchie, K., & Monk, J. M. (2024). Using a ‘Students as Partners’ Model to Develop an Authentic Assessment Promoting Employability Skills in Undergraduate Life Science Education. Febs Open Bio, 15(3), 506–522. https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.13941
Wardani, R. P., Fitriyah, C. Z., Rofiq, A., Hartanto, W., & Ardhyantama, V. (2025). STEAM in the Frame of Independent Curriculum in Elementary School. STEAM Journal for Elementary School Education, 1(1), 33–44. https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/sjese/article/view/40297
Yolcu, E., & Sarı, M. (2022). An Investigation of Preservice Teachers’ Views on Profession and Educational Philosophy Beliefs. Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 9(1), 286–301. https://doi.org/10.21666/muefd.981487
Zhao, S., Yi, L., Fan, P., & Wu, S. (2024). Advancements and Transformations in Educational System Reforms. SHS Web of Conferences, 190, 01003. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202419001003
Published
2026-06-20
How to Cite
Firsya Fimela Azzahra, Budi Purwoko, & Wahono Widodo. (2026). From Skills to Humanity: An Ontological Study of Elementary Education in the Framework of Educating Persons. International Journal of Education, Vocational and Social Science , 5(03), 2129-2151. https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.3252
Contact Person +6282139474255
Email : ijevss@citakonsultindo.or.id / editor.ijevss@gmail.com
