Building a Diversity-Friendly School Culture to Reduce Intolerance: A School-Based Educational Intervention Among Elementary School Students in Cimahi

Abstract

Intolerance among elementary school students may appear through mocking behavior, refusal to cooperate in group activities, selective friendship, and discriminatory attitudes toward peers from different backgrounds. These behaviors can disrupt classroom interaction and weaken students' social-emotional development. This community service-based study aimed to promote a diversity-friendly school culture as an effort to reduce intolerance among fifth-grade students at SD Budi Luhur Cimahi. This study used a one-group pretest-posttest educational intervention design with descriptive quantitative evaluation and supporting behavioral observation. A total of 27 fifth-grade students participated in the program. The intervention consisted of tolerance education, interactive discussion, role-playing, and collaborative learning activities. Evaluation was conducted using a 10-item tolerance questionnaire and observation of students' social behaviors. The results showed an increase in the high tolerance-understanding category from 4 students (14.8%) before the intervention to 17 students (63.0%) after the intervention. Behavioral observation also indicated reduced mocking behavior and refusal to cooperate, along with improved empathy, respect, and cross-group collaboration. The findings suggest that participatory and experience-based tolerance education can support the development of inclusive social behavior in elementary school settings. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size, absence of a control group, and short-term evaluation period.