Reorienting Generation Z’s Political Perceptions: A John Dewey An Perspective On Democratic Political Education

Abstract

The development of digital media has transformed the way Generation Z accesses and interprets political information, resulting in diverse political perceptions. Previous studies have generally examined Generation Z’s political perceptions from the perspectives of social media, political literacy, and political participation. This study offers a different perspective by reconstructing John Dewey's concept of democratic political education as a conceptual framework for analyzing the reorientation of Generation Z’s political perceptions within the context of Pancasila Democracy. This study employed a qualitative approach using a library research method and a hermeneutic approach through the analysis of John Dewey’s major works and other relevant scholarly literature. The study aims to analyze the reorientation of Generation Z’s political perceptions from the perspective of John Dewey’s democratic political education. The findings reveal that democratic political education in John Dewey's thought is a conceptual construct based on four principal elements: the reconstruction of experience, education as a social process, democracy as a way of life, and reflective thinking. The findings further indicate that the reorientation of Generation Z’s political perceptions can be achieved through the development of democratic political experiences, the strengthening of democratic social interactions, the cultivation of democratic values in everyday life, and the enhancement of reflective thinking in understanding and evaluating political information in accordance with the values of Pancasila Democracy. These findings suggest that reorienting Generation Z’s political perceptions requires a political education process that places democratic experience at the center of developing critical, participatory, and responsible citizens