Implications of Students’ Misperceptions about Philosophy on the Development of Philosophical Foundations of Education Teaching Materials

This research aims to describe students’ misperceptions about philosophy as a hindrance to learning the philosophical foundations of education and its implications for the development of teaching materials in the Foundations of Education course. The research was conducted using a descriptive method, with 81 PGSD students from the Faculty of Education at UPI as the research subjects. Result of this research collected through survey, questionnaires, and interviews and processed through the following steps: data reduction, data classification, data interpretation, analysis of implications, and drawing conclusions. The research results indicate the existence of students’ misperceptions about philosophy as an obstacle to learning the philosophical foundations of education. Various perceptions that emerged include: 1) Philosophy is seen as an uncommon knowledge system in everyday life, as strange knowledge, or even as mysterious or mystical knowledge; 2) Philosophy is considered difficult to learn; 3) Philosophy is perceived as dangerous, as it may lead people to disbelief; therefore, it is unnecessary to study; 4) Philosophy is deemed unnecessary because its benefits in life are unclear; 5) Philosophy is seen as useless because it doesn’t provide technical guidance for solving life’s problems. Regarding the implications for the development of teaching materials for the philosophical foundations of education, before students study the educational foundations from various philosophical perspectives, they need to be facilitated in building the right perceptions about the nature of philosophy. The teaching material should include: the definition of philosophy, characteristics of philosophy, a comparison of philosophy with science, religion, and art, and the role and benefits of philosophy in life. As a result, misperceptions about philosophy can be overcome, making it no longer a hindrance to learning the philosophical foundations of education in the Foundations of Education course.