Promoting Character Education Through Genre-Based Language Learning: A Digital Reading Box in the Spotlight

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the learning paradigm in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era began, requiring students and teachers to carry out an electronic-interned learning process. Reading skills, as an entryway for learning language and other subjects, have become a strategic step that can increase learning 4.0 in terms of cognitive (literacy and numeracy) or non-cognitive (character) components. There have been teaching resources, particularly in the genre of language texts. However, it is still usually in the form of printed books or e-books that do not focus on character education. Consequently, the researchers developed "Literasiku 1", a Digital Reading Box that includes the AIR flow in tasks and activities that show different types of text genres: descriptive, procedural, fantasy, and inspirational stories mixed with fascinating pictures and video illustrations. The research findings can help teachers apply character education in language learning based on the six components of the Pancasila student profile. Furthermore, this product can provide students with information on digital literacy relevant to their needs, as evidenced by the development of texts close to the natural environment or tangible things.