Cultivating national solidarity: An action research study among christian generation Z students in Indonesia

Indonesia’s national motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (Unity in Diversity), faces contemporary challenges in fostering genuine social cohesion. This study investigates whether a theologically-grounded educational intervention can enhance inclusive national solidarity among Christian Generation Z students (n = 126) who often develop within homogeneous religious environments. Employing Classroom Action Research across three junior high schools in Bandung and Kupang over three cycles, we implemented an “Indonesian Social Solidarity” module rooted in the Trinitarian concept of perichoresis—the mutual indwelling and interdependence of divine persons as a model for human community. Results revealed divergent outcomes: one school demonstrated significant improvement (N-Gain progressing from 0.34 to 0.35 to 0.97-0.98), while others showed modest or negligible gains. Crucially, all schools exhibited balanced influence of religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors on solidarity behaviors post-intervention, suggesting successful decoupling from in-group biases. This research demonstrates that context-sensitive educational interventions, informed by theological frameworks, offer promising pathways for cultivating the organic solidarity essential for Indonesia’s pluralistic future. The study contributes to theological education by providing preliminary empirical evidence for the pedagogical usefulness of a perichoresis-informed framework for fostering social cohesion among Christian students.