Definition and Scope of Social Research

Definition of social research is a scientific study about society and how people behave and affect each other.

Social research investigates outside the direct experience of researchers and helps to explain how communities are formed, for example, economic growth, the implementation of legal, politics or etc.

Scopes of Social Research are:

1. Demographic and Social Statistics, Methods and Computation

Demography is the study of changes and population trends using resources such as birth data, death and disease and others.

Social Statistics, Methods and Computational involve the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.

2. Developmental Study, Human Geography and Environmental Planning

Developmental study is a multidisciplinary branch of social sciences that discusses about various social and economic issues related to the development or study of poor countries.

Human geography studies people, society and culture, especially regarding the impact on the environmental changes.

Environmental planning explores decision-making process in managing the system of human and nature relationship.

3. Economics, Management and Business Study

Economics tries to understand how individuals interact in the social structure to answer key questions about the production and exchange of goods and services.

Management and Business Study explore various aspects related to business management such as strategic and operational, organizational psychology, work relationship, marketing, accounting, finance and logistics.

4. Education, Social Anthropology and Linguistics

Education is one of the most important social sciences that explores how people learn and develop.

Social anthropology is the study of how society and human social structures are organized and understandable.

Linguistics focuses on language and how people communicate through the spoken voice and words.

5. Legal, Economic and Social History

Legal focuses on the rule made by the government and people to make sure the society becoming more orderly.

Economic and Social History see the past events to learn from history and to more understand the process of contemporary society.

6. Politics and International Relations

Politics focuses on democracy and the relationship between humans and policy at all levels from the individual to the national and international levels.

International Relation is the study of relationship among countries, including the role of other organizations.

7. Psychology and Sociology

Psychology studies the human mind and tries to understand how people and groups experience a variety of emotions, ideas, and awareness.

Sociology involves a group of people, not individuals, and tries to understand how people relate to each other and function as a society or a social sub-group.

8. Technology Study

Technology Study relates to the role of technology in society, the policy and debates that form modern technology.

9. Social Policy

Social policy is interdisciplinary and subject concerned on community responses analysis to social needs with focus on the aspects of society, economy and the implementation of policies to improve social justice.

Definition, Objective and Benefit of Health Research

Definition, Objective and Benefit of Health Research

Health research is a step of scientific method oriented or focusing the activities on the problems that arise in the health field. Health itself consists of two principal sub-areas; the first is individual health oriented on clinical treatment. The second is sub-field oriented on group or community that is prevention. Furthermore, these sub health fields consist of various disciplines, such as medicine, nursing, epidemiology, health education, environmental health, health service management, nutrition etc. The sub-fields are interrelated and affect public health in general.

So, based on this background, health research can be interpreted as an attempt to understand the problems faced in the health in promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative and issues related to the elements; by searching for evidence and conducted through certain steps that are scientific, systematic and logic (Notoatmodjo, 1993).

Health Research Objectives

In general, health research objectives according to Notoatmodjo (1993) are:

1. Finding or testing new facts or old facts with respect to the health field.

2. Conducting an analysis of the relationship among the facts found in the health field.

3. Explaining about the facts found and the relationship with existing theories.

4. Developing a new method or concept in the health services to improve public health.

Benefits of Health Research

In short, the benefits of health research are:

1. Research results can be used to describe the health state or status of individuals, groups or communities.

2. The results can be used to describe the ability of resources and the possibility of these resources in order to support the development of health services.

3. The results can be used as study materials to find the cause of health problems or failures in the health service. So, it can be used as a reference to find an alternative solution or problem solving.

4. The results of health research can be used as a means to formulate policy of health care development.

Types of Health Research

Types of Health Research

Grouping of health research types is many kinds. It depends on the method used. Based on the method, health research can be classified into two groups:

1. Survey research method

In survey research, the results are the whole results although it is not carried out to the entire population, but only a sample. Results of the sample can be generalized as results of population. This method is classified into two parts, descriptive and analytic.

a. Descriptive Survey

In a descriptive survey, research is directed to describe a situation in one community. Such as the distribution of disease, the distribution of gender or other characteristics.

b. Analytical Survey

In analytical survey, research is directed to explain a situation. Analytic is basically used to answer the question why. Analytical survey is divided into three:

1) Cross-sectional

In a cross sectional study, data collection both dependent and independent variables and influence factors are collected at the same time.

2) Retrospective study

This study examines the phenomenon in the past. Data collection is started from the effects or consequences that have occurred and seen whether there is a connection with the past, for example, when looking for the relationship between smoking and lung cancer. Then it started by searching for data on cases of lung cancer patients and they are questioned about smoking history in the past.

3) Prospective study

This study examines the phenomenon in the future, starting by looking at the variable causes and seen the effects in the future. For example, to see the relationship between alcohol and liver Chirosis, it is started by collecting the data of alcohol users and then forwarded to the next observation, whether the users are positive in liver Chirosis or not.

2. Experimental research method

Researchers conduct experimental research in respondents and measure the effect or influence. Treatment can be either deliberate or controlled. For example, research on the effects of music therapy on anxiety level of patients who will do the surgery.

However, when viewed in terms of the benefit, the health research can be classified into:

1. Basic research (basic of fundamental research)

This research is conducted to understand the symptoms that appear in an issue. Then the symptoms are analyzed and the conclusion becomes a new theory or knowledge.

2. Applied research

This study is conducted to repair or modify the system or the existing program. The study is conducted by applying a new system or method but still trial.

3. Action Research

This research is conducted to find a practical knowledge base in order to improve the situation in a community. The research is usually conducted which the problem solving needs to be done e.g. action research to improve transmigration public health.

4. Evaluation Research 

The research is conducted to assess the implementation of a program in order to seek feedback, for example, examining the level of patient satisfaction in hospitals after applying the concept of primary nursing.

Definition of Character Education

What is Character Education?

Education is conscious and deliberate effort to create learning atmosphere and learning process to make the learners actively developing their self-potential to have spiritual power of religion, self-control, personality, intelligence, noble character, and skills needed for them, society, nation and country.

Based on Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (2008), Character is psychological traits, morals or manners that distinguish one person to another. Thus, character is unique values that hardwired within and manifested in behavior. Character coherently emanates from the results of paradigm, heart manner, feeling and intention manners, and physical manner of a person or group.

Character is also often associated with the term �temperament� that is more emphasis on psychosocial definition associated with education and environmental contexts. Meanwhile, character seen from behavioral perspective is more emphasizes on somatopsychological element owned by a person since birth. Thus, it can be said that the process of a person�s character development is influenced by many unique factors of the person concerned which is also called congenital factor (nature) and environmental factor (nurture) in which the person concerned grows and develops. Congenital factors may be said to be beyond the reach of the community and individuals to influence it. Meanwhile, environmental factor is factor that is in the range of community and individuals. So, the effort of a person�s development or character education can be done by the community or individuals as parts of environment through modification of environmental factor. 

Character Education Factors

Environmental factor in character education context has very important role because behavioral changes of learners as the result of character education process are determined by the environmental factor. In other words, the formation and modification of environment includes physical environment and school culture, school management, curriculum, educators, and teaching methods.

Character formation through environmental factor modification can be done through the following strategies:

1. Modeling

2. Intervention

3. Habituation conducted consistently

4. Reinforcement

In other words, the development and formation of character requires modeling development transmitted, intervention through the learning process, training, and habituation continuously in the long time that is done consistently and reinforcement and should be accompanied by noble values.

Purpose, function and Pillars of Character Education

Purpose, function and Pillars of Character Education

Purpose of Character Education

Character education essentially aims to form a strong nation, competitive, noble, moral, tolerant, mutual cooperation, patriotic, dynamic developing, oriented science and technology which are imbued by faith and piety to God.

Functions of Character Education

Character education serves to:

1. Develop basic potential in order to be good, good thoughts, and good behaved.

2. Strengthen and build the nation's behavior.

3. Improve the competitive civilization in the world association.

Six Pillars of Character Education:

1. Trustworthiness 

Be honest, do not deceiving, plagiarism or stealing, be reliable - do what you say you will do, ask for the courage to do the right thing, build a good reputation, obedient - stand with family, friends and country.

2. Respect

Be tolerant of differences, use manners, not bad language, consider the feelings of others, do not threaten, hit or hurt others, make peace with anger, insults and dispute.

3. Responsibility 

Always do your best, use self-control, discipline, think before act - consider the consequences, be responsible of your choice.

4. Fairness 

Play by the rules, take the necessary and share, open-minded; listen to others, do not take advantage of others, do not blame others carelessly.

5. Caring 

Love and show your care, express gratitude, forgive others, help people in need.

6. Citizenship 

Make school and community better, cooperate, get involved in community affairs, be a good neighbor, obey laws and rules, respect the authority, protect the environment.

The Importance of Character Education

The Importance of Character Education

Education applied in schools and colleges requires maximizing skills and cognitive abilities. With such understanding, there are actually other things of a child or student that is equally important unknowingly neglected. That is providing character education to students.

Character education is important as counterweight of cognitive skill. Some facts that we often found, a wealthy businessman is not generous, a politician or state official does not care about the poor, or a teacher is not concerned about the street children who do not get a chance to learn in school. It is the evidence that there is no balance between cognitive education and character education.

Character education is education that emphasizes on the formation of character values ??in children or students.

Basic characteristics of character education are formulated by an originator of character education from German named FW Foerster:

1. Character education emphasizes on every action that guides on normative values. A child or student respects the existing norms and guide on the norms.

2. The existence of coherence or building confidence and courage, so a child will be a firm stance personal and not be easily swayed and afraid of risk every facing new situation.

3. The existence of autonomy: students understand and practice the outside rules to be values for them. By doing so, the students are able to make decisions independently without being influenced by pressure from outside parties.

4. Firmness and loyalty. Firmness is students� durability in realizing what is considered good. Loyalty is basic respect for the commitment chosen.

Character education will make superior personal that not only has cognitive ability but also character that is able to realize success. Based on research at Harvard University in United States, a person's success is not solely determined by knowledge and technical abilities and the cognition (hard skill), but the ability to manage himself and others (soft skill).

The research reveals that success is only determined about 20 percent by hard skill and 80 percent by the soft skill. Furthermore, soft skill is formed through the implementation of character education in children.

Process of Character Formation in Children

Process of Character Formation in Children

Character formation of a child takes time and commitment of the parents and schools or teachers to educate the child to become characterized personal. It takes effort, time and love of the environment where he grows up, love here does not mean featherbed.

The character of a nation is an important aspect that affects socio-economic development. High quality character of the community will surely grow a strong desire to improve the quality of a nation. This best character development is when it is started at an early age.

Thomas Lickona said, "A child is just a place in which a responsible adult can be created". Therefore, preparing the child is felicitous human investment strategy. A famous statement revealed, "Children are only about 25% of the total population, but they determine 100% of the future". It has been proven that the most effective period to form the character of children is before 10 years old. It is expected that character formation in this period will have impact that will last long for the moral formation of children.

It is normal if we expect the family as the main actors in educating basic morals in children. However, there are many children, particularly children who live in poor areas, do not get moral education of their parents.

Low socio-economic condition is related to various issues, such as poverty, jobless, low education levels, low socialized life, and usually it is also associated with high stress levels and further affecting the parenting. A study showed that children who live in poor areas 11 times higher in accepting negative behaviors (such as physical and mental violence, and neglected) than children from higher-income families.

Dorothy Law Nolte has stated that children learn from the life environment. The complete statement is:

If a child lives with reproach, he learns cursing

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns inferiority

If a child lives with humiliation, he learns self-sorry

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns restraint

If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate

If a child lives with the best handling, he learns justice

If a child lives with security, he learns to trust

If a child lives with support, he learns to please himself

If a child lives with love and friendship, he learns to find love in life