Democracy Education in Schools: Perspectives of Junior High School Students at Nurul Jannah Natuna

This study aims to analyze the implementation and students' perceptions of democracy learning at SMP Nurul Jannah Natuna. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this study involved four students and one Civics (PPKn) teacher as key informants, with data obtained through in-depth interviews analyzed thematically. The results showed that students have a good understanding of democracy, associating it with freedom of speech, deliberation, the right to vote, and responsibility. Civics learning at this school integrates democratic values through interactive methods such as group discussions, Q&A, group work, and presentations. Students are given active opportunities to express their opinions and are guided to respect differing views, with deliberation becoming a common practice in classroom decision-making. The election of the class president and the student council (OSIS) also serves as an effective means of democratic practice. The teacher plays a central role as a facilitator and a role model for democratic attitudes. Nevertheless, obstacles were found in the form of students' lack of self-confidence, the dominance of a few students, and differences in communication skills. The benefits felt by students include increased courage, tolerance, responsibility, and cooperation. Students hope that future learning will be more practical, active, and involve all participants equally. This study broadens the understanding of the internalization of democratic values at the junior high school level, highlighting the importance of the teacher's role and interactive methods in shaping students' democratic characters. The implication is the need to develop more adaptive pedagogical strategies to overcome participation barriers and maximize authentic democratic learning experiences