OPTIMISING LITERARY ACTIVITIES FOR CHARACTER BUILDING AT MUSAMUS UNIVERSITY, SOUTH PAPUA

Abstract

Literature is a powerful tool for individuals' character building, an essential aspect of education. In the context of education in Papua, studies indicate the potential for character development through literary exploration. Therefore, by conducting a systematic review of the relevant sources, this study highlights the importance of literature, the challenges and how the optimization of literary activities plays a vital role in forming students' character.   This study's participants were the students of the English Language Education Study Programme and English Letters, Musamus University Merauke. In addition, it involved the data from the interview with three high-school teachers. All the participants represented different ethnic backgrounds and cultural experiences to ensure comprehensive insights. This study also employed the library study and observation in gaining the data. This study used some credible journal articles from national and international sources as secondary data and analysed the points through a fishbone diagram and USG method. The findings show the challenges in optimizing the literary activities and their impacts on the students, especially their character-building. Accordingly, some highlights are provided as solutions to the challenges which require more significant support and collaboration between educational institutions, local authorities, and the community. This research provides valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and literary facilitators to design and implement impactful literary initiatives that shape the youth character-building in Merauke, South Papua.