International Journal of Education & the Arts

Citation: Nurrochsyam, M. W. (2025). Exploring the ethics of care in the wayang kulit performance to strengthen student character. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 27(1). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea27n1

In recent years, educators, researchers and policymakers have raised concerns about the moral development of Indonesian students. Some studies reveal a tendency toward radical and intolerant moral attitudes among students. The potential of Wayang performances can be utilized to strengthen students' character effectively. This article will explore the intersection between ethics and Wayang Kulit performance. There are two objectives to be achieved in this article: First, to identify the moral attitudes of the main characters in the dramatic structure of Wayang Kulit performances. Second, to analyze the ethics of care in the Wayang Kulit performance. This study uses a narrative analysis approach with an ethics of care perspective to Wayang Kulit performance art. The study results show that the ethics of duty need to be complemented by an ethics of care that are concretely based on empathy, kindness, or compassion and favoring the weak. Wayang Kulit has the potential to be a medium of character education for students through an ethics of care approach that emphasizes the values of empathy, caring and concern for the vulnerable. In particular, the ethics of care in Wayang Kulit performance provides moral education rooted in local culture and relevant to the problems of contemporary society. This study's main contribution is linking traditional art with contemporary ethics.