Soeharto, S.Pd., M.Pd., Ph.D.
About SIR Fellow
Soeharto, S.Pd., M.Pd., Ph.D. is researcher and academician, currently serving as a Researcher at the Research Center for Education under the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia. He is an expert in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, with a specialized focus on educational sciences, STEM learning, and student misconceptions in science education. Dr. Soeharto holds a Master’s degree in Education from Yogyakarta State University and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Szeged, Hungary, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. His academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Tanjungpura University, where he graduated as the best in his class. Dr. Soeharto has received numerous prestigious scholarships, including the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship from the Hungarian Government, and the LPDP Scholarship for his Master’s degree. He has been awarded research grants from esteemed institutions, including the Austrian Government’s Ernst Mach Grant for his research on digital skills and teacher quality in inclusive education. Dr. Soeharto’s research contributions have been significant, with 24 publications indexed in Scopus, including articles in Q1 journals. Notable works include studies on student misconceptions in science, digital literacy in pre-service chemistry teachers, and inductive reasoning skills of Indonesian students. He has presented his research at numerous international conferences, further establishing his presence in the global academic community. His professional experience spans various academic roles, from serving as a lecturer and research leader. Additionally, Dr. Soeharto has worked as a visiting researcher at the University of Vienna, Johannes Kepler University and the University of Szeged, contributing to his extensive network and experience in international research. Dr. Soeharto is also an active member of several academic organizations, including the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), where he serves as an associate editor. His teaching activities include supervising graduate students and leading workshops on scientific writing and Rasch modeling for educational research.
For collaboration inquiries or more information, Dr. Soeharto can be reached via email at soeharto @brin.go.id.
- Doctoral School of Education, University of Szeged, Hungary. GPA: 4.88 (Grade 0 – 5) with Summa Cum Laude distinction (highest honor). Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Benő Csapó.
01/08/2014 – 12/08/2016
- Master of Education, Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia. GPA; 3,91 (Grade 0 – 4) with the Best graduated certificate.
01/09/2009 – 12/04/2013
- Bachelor of Education, Tanjungpura University, Indonesia. GPA; 3,91 (Grade 0 – 4) with the Best graduated certificate.
- Researcher, Research Center for Education, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta,
0112/2023 – Present
- Affiliate Researcher, Azerbaijan State University of Economics, Baku, Azerbaijan.
01/05/2023 – Present
- Researcher Fellow, at SZTE, Doctoral School of Education, University of Szeged. Hungary
01/12/2022 – 30/06/2023
- Researcher Fellow, at Centre for Teacher Education, University of Vienna, Austria
01/04/2016 – 01/04/2020
- Lecturer and Research leader at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pendidikan, Singkawang
01/07/2017 – 01/08/2017
- Certified editor from the Indonesian research institute (LIPI), Indonesia
01/09/2012 – 01/04/2013
- Research assistant at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education
01/04/2010 – 01/04/2012
- Teacher at SSC Institute, Indonesia
Afifah, W., Soeharto, S., Winingsih, L. H., Kadaryanto, B., Raharjo, S. B., Arifiyanti, F., & Lavicza, Z. (2025). Exploring students’ lived experience in online learning during Covid-19 pandemic through a phenomenological hermeneutic perspective. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 9, 100444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2025.100444
Akhmetova, A., Imambayeva, G., Csapó, B., & Soeharto, Soeharto. (2022). Assessing and validating young Kazakhstanis’ reading skills in English, the impact of classroom climate, and their engagement on reading skills. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12(2), 280–292. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i2.37321
Arifiyanti, F., Soeharto, S., Amukune, S., Van Nguyen, S., Aburezeq, K., Hidayatullah, A., & Sarimanah, E. (2023). Investigating rater–student interaction, gender bias, and major bias in the assessment of research seminar presentation. Heliyon, 9(6), e16548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16548
Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia, & Dewi, I. P. (2025). The Use of Augmented Reality in Sensor and Actuator Device Learning: Is It Effective in Enhancing Students’ Conceptual Understanding? International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 15(4), 858–866. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2025.15.4.2292
Hairida, H., Benő, C., Soeharto, S., Charalambos, C., Rasmawan, R., Martono, M., Arifiyanti, F., Winarti, A., & Enawaty, E. (2023). Evaluating Digital Literacy of Pre-service Chemistry Teachers: Multidimensional Rasch Analysis. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 32(5), 643–654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10070-z
Haqiyah, A., Riyadi, D. N., Bujang, B., Abidin, D., Putra, P., Lubis, J., Bahtra, R., Soeharto, S., Hanief, Y. N., Lestari, W. D., Taufik, M. S., & Muslim, B. A. (2024). Validating The Self-Talk Questionnaire of Athletes and How it Affects Athletes’ Mental Toughness? International Journal of Disabilities Sports and Health Sciences, 7(5), 1147–1155. https://doi.org/10.33438/ijdshs.1503594
Haqiyah, A., Sanjaya, K. H., Soeharto, S., Tangkudung, A. W. A., Riyadi, D. N., Lubis, J., Pratiwi, E., Puspitorini, W., Mulyadi, D. Y. N., & Kusumandari, D. E. (2023a). Developing and Validating the Mental Toughness Questionnaire of Athletes Using Rasch Analysis. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 11(3), 650–659. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2023.110319
Haqiyah, A., Sanjaya, K. H., Soeharto, Tangkudung, A. W. A., Riyadi, D. N., Lubis, J., Pratiwi, E., Puspitorini, W., Mulyadi, D. Y. N., & Kusumandari, D. E. (2023b). Developing and Validating the Mental Toughness Questionnaire of Athletes Using Rasch Analysis. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 11(3), 650–659. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2023.110319
Jatmiko, A., Asyhari, A., Irwandani, I., & Soeharto, S. (2023). The Role of Self-Concept in Modulating the Effectiveness of Nature-Based Science Instruction. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 12(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v12i4.48287
Kusuma, I. Y., Bahar, M. A., Nuari, D. A., Prabandari, R., Soeharto, S., Csupor, D., Benkő, R., & Matuz, M. (2024). Antibiotic knowledge assessment questionnaire in undergraduate pharmacy students: A Rasch analysis of validity evidence. Pharmacy Education, 24(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2024.241.5478
Kusuma, I. Y., Benko, R., Bahar, Muh. A., Pitaloka, D. A. E., Soeharto, S., Nuari, D. A., Prabandari, R., Csupor, D., & Matuz, M. (2025). Development and validation of a psychometric scale for assessing pharmacy students’ perceptions and attitudes toward antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship in Indonesia: The PATARAS study. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 805. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07375-5
Maričić, M., Anđić, B., Soeharto, S., Mumcu, F., Cvjetićanin, S., & Lavicza, Z. (2025). The exploration of continuous teaching intention in emerging-technology environments through perceived cognitive load, usability, and teacher’s attitudes. Education and Information Technologies, 30(7), 9341–9370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13141-9
Martono, Dewantara, J. A., & Soeharto. (2020). The Ability of Indonesian Language Education Students in Designing Lesson Plan through Teaching Practice in School. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(11), 5489–5497. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.081152
Nur Rahmi Sonia, Sutiah, Wahidmurni, & Soeharto. (2024). Islamic Leadership, Workplace Spirituality, and Innovative Work Behavior on Teachers’ Islamic Performance: Mediating Role of OCBIP. Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v22i1.9092
Radhiah, S., Fakhri, M. M., Ibrahim, M., Rosidah, R., Fadhilatunisa, D., Arifiyanti, F., Soeharto, S., & Vidiyanto, V. (2023). The accuracy of forecasting results of the Box-Jenkins method for time series analysis on the number of pneumonia patients. International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS), 12(4), 1753. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v12i4.22961
Ramadhani, R., Syahputra, E., Simamora, E., & Soeharto, S. (2023). Expert judgement of collaborative cloud classroom quality and its criteria using the many-facets rasch model. Heliyon, 9(10), e20596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20596
Riwayani, R., Istiyono, E., Supahar, S., Perdana, R., & Soeharto, S. (2024). Analyzing students’ statistical literacy skills based on gender, grade, and educational field. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 13(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i2.26299
Rosidah, Miftach Fakhri, M., Naufal, M. A., Machmud, M. T., Fadhilatunisa, D., Arifiyanti, F., & Soeharto, S. (2025). From games to gains using geogebra: Investigating microgames and augmented reality in affecting student motivation, confidence and problem-solving strategies in learning mathematics. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-025-13620-7
Sarimanah, E., Soeharto, S., Dewi, F. I., & Efendi, R. (2022). Investigating the relationship between students’ reading performance, attitudes toward ICT, and economic ability. Heliyon, 8(6), e09794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09794
Soeharto, S. (2021). Development of A Diagnostic Assessment Test to Evaluate Science Misconceptions in Terms of School Grades: A Rasch Measurement Approach. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 18, 351–370. https://doi.org/10.36681/tused.2021.78
Soeharto, S., & Csapó, B. (2021a). Building a House From Lego Blocks: Using Cross Cultural Validation to Develop the Constructed Motivation Questionnaire (CMQS) in Science. Pedagogika, 142(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2021.142.12
Soeharto, S., & Csapó, B. (2021b). Evaluating item difficulty patterns for assessing student misconceptions in science across physics, chemistry, and biology concepts. Heliyon, 7(11), e08352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08352
Soeharto, S., & Csapó, B. (2022a). Assessing Indonesian student inductive reasoning: Rasch analysis. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 46, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101132
Soeharto, S., & Csapó, B. (2022b). Exploring Indonesian student misconceptions in science concepts. Heliyon, 8(9), e10720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10720
Soeharto, S., Csapő, B., Sarimanah, E., Dewi, F. I., & Sabri, T. (2019). A Review of Students’ Common Misconceptions in Science and Their Diagnostic Assessment Tools. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v8i2.18649
Soeharto, S., Martono, M., Hairida, H., Akhmetova, A., Arifiyanti, F., Benő, C., & Charalambos, C. (2024). The metacognitive awareness of reading strategy among pre-service primary teachers and the possibility of rating improvement using Rasch analysis. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 80, 101319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2023.101319
Soeharto, S., Subasi Singh, S., & Afriyanti, F. (2024). Associations between attitudes toward inclusive education and teaching for creativity for Indonesian pre-service teachers. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 51, 101469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101469
Sudirman, S., Kennedy, D., & Soeharto, S. (2023). The teaching of physics at upper secondary school level: A comparative study between Indonesia and Ireland. Frontiers in Education, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1118873
Sukarelawan, M. I., Jumadi, J., Kuswanto, H., Soeharto, S., & Hikmah, F. N. (2021). Rasch Analysis to Evaluate the Psychometric Properties of Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory in the Indonesian Context. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 10(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v10i4.27114
Taufik, O. A., Soeharto, S., Ahmad, A. K., Suprapto, Sumarni, An-Nahidl, N. A., Pamungkas, O. Y., Mariah, S., Andini, D. W., & Cahyandaru, P. (2025). The path to teaching Excellence: Examining self-efficacy of pre-service teachers during school internship programs in Indonesia. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101619
Yani T, A., Buyung, B., Rosmaiyadi, R., Marhayani, D. A., Nirawati, R., Triani, S. N., & Soeharto, S. (2025). Examining the relationship between mathematical literacy and digital literacy among pre-service mathematics teachers. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(5), em2635. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16392
Dr. Paed. Asih Widi Wisudawati, M.Pd.
About SIR Fellow
Dr. Paed. Asih Widi Wisudawati, M.Pd, has extensive experience in addressing misconceptions in chemistry and developing science learning design in the Indonesian local context. She is the head of the Department of Chemistry Education at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. Her research focuses on assessing students’ conceptions, systems thinking, sustainability, and digitalization in chemistry education. According to the leadership of the chemical society, she leads the publication division within the Indonesian Chemical Society, known in Bahasa as Himpunan Kimiawan Indonesia (HKI), particularly in the chemistry education division. Internationally, she participates in the chemistry education group called DICE, or Digitalization in Chemistry Education, under the German Chemical Society. Besides her active involvement in the chemical society, she has several international collaboration roles related to journal reviewing, including for the Journal of Environmental Research and Technology at Yildiz Technical University, Journal Ecletica Quimica from Brazil, Global NEST journal from the University of Aegean Greece, and the Journal of Chemical Education from the American Chemical Society (ACS). She has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences in Indonesia and around the world, with her most recent conference being CLEAR 2025, focused on developing chemistry laboratory assessment. Based on Google Scholar, since 2018, her works have been cited by 2,427 scholars both in Indonesia and globally. Currently, she is concentrating on Design-Based Research (DBR) utilizing a systems thinking approach in the context of sustainability, exploring themes such as ocean acidification, Food Loss and Waste (FLW), and bioplastics. While focusing on sustainability, she specializes in conducting Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) to reveal students’ (miss)conceptions arising from school textbooks, learning processes, or public statements on social media platforms. All her concerns aim to foster innovative solutions in (chemistry) education. Her motto is “Together we are more!”
The Basic Empathy Scale: Validation of Empathy Measurement of Pesantren Students in Indonesia
Rizkyanti, C.A., Hermansyah, E., & Wijayanti, Z. B. (2025). The Basic Empathy Scale: Validation of Empathy Measurement of Pesantren Students in Indonesia. Psikologika: Jurnal Pemikiran dan Penelitian Psikologi, 30(1), 1-24. https://journal.uii.ac.id/Psikologika/article/view/35976
Abstract
This study aimed to validate the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) using Rasch model to establish the reliability and validity of the instrument in measuring empathy. Participants in validation consisted of 200 students from Islamic Boarding Schools (Pesantren) in Java, Indonesia. This analysis was conducted using a quantitative method with Rasch model analysis by incorporating a Wright map, item fit analysis, a unidimensionality test, and Different Item Functioning (DIF). The results showed that the BES was reliable for measuring cognitive and affective empathy, confirming unidimensionality and item fit among participants. These findings implied that the BES was suitable for application among Islamic Boarding School students. DIF analysis further showed that some items might require revision to elicit more accurate results even though the instrument was considered valid and reliable.
Enhancing Research Excellence through Participating in Conference
Enhancing Research Excellence through Participating in Conference
by Muhammat Sabar Prihatin
On Saturday, 26 October 2024, the student body of education faculty UIII, ESTUDIA (Education Student Association), conducted a gathering across batches. The event was so much fun and healthy, I believed. We did several dances such as Maumere, Pinguin, and everybody seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves at that time. One main agenda of this event was sharing academic and non-academic life as graduate students, particularly in the faculty of education, such as how to deal with various assignments as well as how to maintain mental and physical health. In my opinion, the event was very beneficial for all of us, especially new students so that they can navigate crucial things to do, anticipate unexpected events that may happen, exchange inspiring and aspiring stories, as well as most importantly to raise our sense of belonging to the community of UIII students especially from the faculty of education as a whole. This event also indicates the importance of gathering among the students for an exciting journey as both individuals and scholars. Thanks to ESTUDIA.
Two of the interesting questions that we discussed during the gathering in my group were, quoting the sentence from one of my MA friends who said, "It is confusing, between writing and publishing papers a lot during study or later when after graduate only?" Plus, "What field are we expert in actually?" Those questions are very relevant to me who currently study at the doctoral level. In my heart I said “Yaw, how is that?", until these concerns reverberated in my brain, making it difficult for me to sleep at night.
But then, before sleeping, I reflect on myself. As far as my undergraduate study experience up until now, I have written and presented papers several times at international conferences, both offline and online, at home country and abroad, including publishing the papers, mostly in proceedings. Despite this, I still don't feel like I'm an expert in the academic world at all. So what does it mean to write and publish through such conferences so far?
In my opinion, responding to my friend's concerns above, the most important thing as a student is of course being able to complete all assignments, which surely each of them is already in an academic or scientific nuance, such as writing or reviewing articles critically and academically. Aren't our course assignments already designed to guide us to work as scholars? Therefore, to become an expert in a particular scientific field, for me, can be done later after graduation, where one of the ways is by increasing scientific productivity through the publication of academic writings, for example, after having sufficient research proficiency skills according to our own capacity. But then, how can we measure whether our abilities are sufficient to pursue a particular scientific field to become an expert?
This is the role of involving ourselves in academic forums such as conferences, which in my opinion can really help us find various choices of fields of study along with ways to participate. By challenging ourselves to write and present and even publish papers through conferences while we still study in university, it will greatly increase our exposure to the experience of participating in scientific studies, which can also increase the horizon of our ideas regarding the scientific field we want to pursue. Additionally, this can also strengthen us to determine our desired expertise as well as to increase our self-confidence because our involvement in the field is in accordance with its latest developments. Not to mention that this can also help us decide the thesis/dissertation topic we need to write before we graduate. Thus, when we have really graduated, we are better prepared to be actively involved in dialogue on the scientific developments that we are pursuing. Isn't it how we can envision more clearly what scientific field we want to become the expert later in the future?
Then, the next question is how can we participate in academic forums such as conferences- which I regard as stages for experts to show their expertises in the scientific field they are in through research-? In my opinion, one of the key factors in developing science to be engaged in academic forums such as conferences is mastery of various research methodologies. That is what, I am quite sure, led me to qualify for being accepted to participate in two fully funded international conferences with my papers that use different research methods, in the last two months. The first is the 3rd International Conference on Religious Moderation (ICROM) conducted by BIMAS Islam, the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia in Merlynn Park Hotel, Jakarta, November 5-7, 2024. In this conference my paper entitled Youth Engagement in Religious Moderation: Impacts of Peace Journey Board Game on Ethical Perspectives employs a mixed-methods approach, sequential explanatory design. The second is the International Conference on Research, Community Service, and Gender Studies (ICRCSGS) conducted by UIN (Islamic State University) Imam Bonjol Padang, 5-6 Desember 2024. Our deen, Prof. Nina Nurmila is one of the keynote speakers in this conference. My paper is titled Exploring the Impact of International Training Course on Gender Issues and Non-Formal Education (NFE) Methods for Youth in Europe and Asia: A Critical Text Analysis. It is clear that the study adopts a critical text analysis, also can be considered as content analysis. Those articles are still in the process of publication with several options such as proceedings or journals.
I do thank our faculty that provides us with a number of kinds of research methodology to learn from the very first semester until now the third semester. We have learned; research methodology in education, qualitative research methodology, quantitative research methodology, and also mixed-methods research design. These methodologies truly equip us with rich tools that really help enable us to conduct research with more varied approaches.
There are some important things that I can reflect on this matter. Learning various types of research methodology does not mean that I can do any kind of research greatly. Maybe there are people who can. But personally, to be honest, every time I learn about the material, I can't understand everything. Often get confused because there are many new things to learn. The good news is, worth remembering, when writing a paper, we are not to write the research methodology(ies) we employ, rather we justify why and how we adopt it/them in our paper. Afterall, don't let yourself end up dizzy. It's okay to be confused, but that confusion should actually lead us to find the most appropriate strategy for studying those various research methodologies. Is it by studying independently, analyzing other people's papers, or even by directly practicing writing, or perhaps combining some of them. In this way, being confused should lead us to become enlightened. My previous lecture once said, confusion is the first step to understanding science and I can make that sense truly this way.
And for me, “it doesn't matter if we can't understand all the research methodologies we learn”. However, as much as possible “we must be able to understand and even master the methodology we employ in our own research”. Of course, we can learn this in the classes, including when doing assignments. Again, if we strongly want to hone our research skills better, we can consider attending conferences by writing papers using methodology that we really want to learn further.
Another skill I learned as a result of practicing reading and writing for research is the ability to “Just say it” what I want to write. I mean, for example, from the various literature that we find, there are various statements arguing about a certain concept that might also make us confused about which theory we are going to say or to use. So when that happens, we have to be brave enough to say it as what it is, that there are various definitions of a certain concept where A says a, B says b, and C says c. Then we convey which theory or concept that we want to borrow or which one is the most relevant to the context of our own study. This will make our writing remain based on reliable science, that is not just making up as we wish. So there is no need to be confused about the wealth of existing studies, just say what it is according to our findings, then select which theory or concept we want to adopt related to our own research topic.
Last but not least, to further learn about and enhance our research skill particularly on the research methodology is to read the writings of other people who have applied the methodology that we also want to apply. So from there we can apply the ATM (Amati, Tiru, Modifikasi) principle, namely observe, copy and modify. This can help us a lot principally and technically, such as informing us of what important things to write, how to develop or construct the ideas, and how to present the flows of the ideas in the form of scientific writing. We don't have to have a lot of sample papers for ATM, just 2-3 could be enough but we should really be able to follow them. I am sure this way can facilitate us to write scientific papers like experts who master the methodologies they used so that our writing seems to be most likely written by a professional researcher.
I believe, being an expert is not merely about when, rather it is about how we should make it happen. And from my limited subjective experience I reflect here, I can suggest that the more diverse research methodologies we learn, the more possible we can engage in various research, encouraging us to be eagerly involved in scientific talk and dialogue. And for sure, to become the expert one, we should do research a lot in our field, that is how seemingly we are about to know our expertise.