Fostering elementary students’ civic intellectual and participatory skills through video-based moral reasoning instruction

The low level of civic skills among elementary school students, especially in intellectual and participatory aspects, reveals the need for innovative teaching methods that foster moral reasoning and active student engagement in social contexts. Video-based moral reasoning instruction is seen as a potential solution, bridging this gap by integrating concrete visualization with moral reflection. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness and mechanisms of this approach in developing civic intellectual and participatory skills. A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design was used, involving 52 fifth-grade students in Makassar, divided into experimental and control groups. Data were collected using observation sheets, pretest and posttest assessments, and documentation, then analyzed using normality tests, homogeneity tests, and an independent sample t-test. The results indicate that the application of video-based moral reasoning instruction significantly enhances students’ intellectual and participatory skills compared to the traditional approach. Video use reduces cognitive load to understand citizenship contexts and the moral reasoning process develops skills in analysis, evaluation, decision-making and, therefore, leads to higher active participation. The findings of this study highlight the importance of the integration of visual media and moral reasoning in the development of civic competencies of elementary school students.