Islamic Religious Education Teachers' Strategies in Developing Dhuha Prayer Discipline

Abstract

This study aims to explore the strategies of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) teachers in instilling disciplined Dhuha prayer habits among students at SD Islam Terpadu Qurrata A'yun Tinggede, and to identify contextual factors contributing to the program's effectiveness. The study employs a qualitative approach with an intrinsic case study design, selected because the focus is on understanding a unique phenomenon within a single school context in depth rather than for comparative generalization. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the principal, three IRE teachers, and three students, participant observation during Dhuha prayer implementation, and documentation, including prayer practice videos and daily worship monitoring sheets, then analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana interactive model with source triangulation and member checking to ensure data validity. The findings indicate that teachers implement holistic-adaptive strategies integrating structural habituation, auditory-repetitive collective learning, effective collaboration with parents using accessible instruments, non-punitive educational consequences, and persuasive mentoring that transforms infrastructure limitations into intensive supervision opportunities and supports meaningful behavioral change. Contextual factors contributing to the program include a school culture that emphasizes religious character as institutional identity, trust-based teacher-student interaction dynamics, spontaneous peer learning mechanisms, and the integration of all program elements, producing tangible impacts on students' spiritual tranquility and academic focus. These findings contribute to achieving SDG Goal 4 by demonstrating that effective religious character education does not require elaborate infrastructure but rather pedagogical innovation by teachers and a collaborative ecosystem that develops disciplined and responsible generations.