Keywords
phenomenology
national identity
students
overseas study
How to Cite
Abstract
This study aims to describe how Indonesian students interpret their national identity while also introducing Indonesian culture during their studies abroad. The study is motivated by the phenomenon that cross-cultural experiences can strengthen, change, or challenge students’ understanding of their Indonesian identity. The method used is descriptive qualitative research with a phenomenological approach. The study involved five students from a university participating in student exchange and international internship programs in South Korea, Germany, and Thailand. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The results indicate that national identity is shaped through reflection, social interaction, and cultural exposure in daily life. The students promoted Indonesian culture through moral values, good manners, and professionalism to counter negative stereotypes; by consistently upholding their principles amid cultural differences; and by introducing the Indonesian language, batik, and cuisine. International experiences were found to strengthen national identity through cultural diplomacy, moral awareness, and a sense of responsibility as representatives of the nation.
References
Adhani, Y., Panai, D. N. I., Bahsoan, A., Mas, S. R., Badu, S. Q., Dilipanga, M. B., Adhani, Y., Panai, D. N. I., Bahsoan, A., Mas, S. R., & Badu, S. Q. (2024). Pancasila student profile: Integrating environmentalism and sustainable lifestyles in schools. Jambura Journal Civic Education, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.37905/jacedu.v4i2.28585
Andriani, P., Rangkuti, A. R., Delaila, H., & Handayani, N. (2023). Internalization of national identity to children amid the influence of globalization. Journal of Contemporary Gender and Child Studies, 1(1), 13–19. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/83ec/b1c33e8bc759ebb3b511702d6ca22ee09c84.pdf
Aulia, N., Najamuddin, & Alwi, A. (2025). Pendidikan lintas budaya sebagai basis penguatan identitas nasional di tengah arus globalisasi: Indonesia. Bestari: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Kebudayaan, 6(2), 255–261. https://doi.org/10.46368/bjpd.v6i2.4648
Candra, A. A., Suryadi, K., Rahmat, R., & Nurbayani, S. (2020). Strategy to strengthen the national identity of millennial generation in the digital era in Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.4108/EAI.26-11-2019.2295176
Eqzaputri, E. B., Diafreza, F. H., Pariyanto, K. L., Purwadi, S. H. D., & Pratiwi, W. W. (2025). Peran mahasiswa Indonesia di luar negeri dalam melestarikan budaya dan menguatkan identitas nasional. Morfologi: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Bahasa, Sastra Dan Budaya, 3(4), 137–145. https://doi.org/10.61132/morfologi.v3i4.1938
Fiamanilla, A., Saraswati, A., Safitri, T. N., & Shafirah, F. A. A. (2025). Peran gastrodiplomasi dalam memperkenalkan identitas nasional melalui Indonesia spice up the world. Jurnal Budaya Nusantara, 8(1), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.36456/jbn.vol8.no1.10684
Gaitán-Aguilar, L., Hofhuis, J., & Jansz, J. (2024). A review of research on global citizenship in higher education: Towards a holistic approach. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 102, Article 102050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.102050
Grincheva, N. (2024). The past and future of cultural diplomacy. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 30(2), 172–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2023.2183949
Jerome, L., Hyder, F., Hilal, Y., & Kisby, B. (2024). A systematic literature review of research examining the impact of citizenship education on active citizenship outcomes. Review of Education, 12(2), Article e3472. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3472
Mulyadi, D. M. J. J., Nurdin, E. S., Ruyadi, Y., Najib, A. M., & Dewantara, J. A. (2025). Transnational ideologies: A threat to values of Pancasila and national character of Indonesian citizens abroad. Jurnal Moral Kemasyarakatan, 10(1), 135–163. https://doi.org/10.21067/jmk.v10i1.1136
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Nahouli, D. (2023). Globalization and the internationalization of standards. International Journal of Science and Research, 12(10), 1786–1791. https://doi.org/10.21275/sr231023175641
Radu, L. (2022). Dimensions of globalization in the contemporary era. Anuarul Institutului de Cercetări Socio-Umane "C.S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor, XXII, 227–240. https://doi.org/10.59277/csnpissh.2022.17
Rahmi, S. S. N., & Nelwati, S. (2024). Krisis identitas nasional pada generasi muda di era globalisasi. Bhinneka: Jurnal Bintang Pendidikan Dan Bahasa, 2(3), 319–327. https://doi.org/10.59024/bhinneka.v2i3.905
Reimers, F. (2020). A cultural perspective and global education (pp. 31–52). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3887-2_3
Simbolon, E. E. P., Jamaludin, J., Lingga, L. I., Gomes, M., & Mizilfa, N. (2024). Globalisasi dan identitas: Mencari keseimbangan dalam keragaman budaya Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Education and Development Research, 3(1), 354–363. https://doi.org/10.57235/ijedr.v3i1.4659
Smith, A. D. (1991). National identity. Penguin Books.
Susilawati, S., Yusuf, R., & Rachman, A. (2024). Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy is the basis for realizing world peace. https://doi.org/10.55927/marcopolo.v2i3.8528
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Brooks/Cole.
Umar, U. (2025). Perkuliahan civik education dalam penguatan identitas nasional mahasiswa. Inovatif: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Agama, Dan Kebudayaan, 11(1), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.55148/inovatif.v11i1.1516
Yemini, M., Maxwell, C., Wright, E., Engel, L., & Lee, M. (2024). Cosmopolitan nationalism as an analytical lens: Four articulations in education policy. Policy Futures in Education, 22(3), 219–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103231168672
Zulfikar, F., Joebagio, H., & Djono, D. (2020). Integrity and character of contemporary students in reflection. 3(2), 317–324. https://doi.org/10.20961/SHES.V3I2.46253
Jurnal Moral Kemasyarakatan permits readers to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of its published articles and to use them for any other lawful purpose. The journal retains copyright of all published articles. Upon publication, copyright is transferred from the author(s) to the journal publisher.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .