ISLAMIC EDUCATION LEARNING STRATEGIES IN CHARACTER BUILDING OF STUDENTS AT SDIT MIFTAHUL ULUM CINERE-DEPOK

Abstract

Islamic Religious Education (Pendidikan Agama Islam/PAI) plays a strategic role in shaping students’ character, particularly at the elementary school level. At this stage, character formation becomes an essential foundation for students’ moral, spiritual, and social development. Amid rapid technological advancement and social change, schools are required not only to develop students’ academic competence but also to instill character values through structured and continuous learning processes. SDIT Miftahul Ulum Cinere–Depok, as an integrated Islamic elementary school, strives to make Islamic Religious Education learning a primary instrument in developing students’ religious character, discipline, responsibility, and noble morals. This study aims to describe the learning strategies of Islamic Religious Education in shaping students’ character at SDIT Miftahul Ulum Cinere–Depok, to identify the implementation of PAI learning strategies in classroom instruction and religious habituation programs, and to analyze supporting and inhibiting factors in the character-building process through PAI learning. Theoretically, this research refers to the concepts of learning strategies, character education, and Islamic Religious Education at the elementary school level. Character education emphasizes the process of instilling values through instruction, habituation, and role modeling. This concept aligns with the objectives of Islamic Religious Education, which focus not only on cognitive aspects but also on shaping students’ attitudes and behavior in daily life. PAI teachers play an important role in designing learning strategies that integrate character values into classroom learning and school culture. This study uses a qualitative approach with field research as its research design. Data collection techniques include interviews with PAI teachers and school administrators, observations of learning activities and students’ religious practices, and documentation of school programs related to character development. Data analysis was conducted through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results of the study show that PAI learning strategies at SDIT Miftahul Ulum Cinere–Depok are implemented through various approaches, including role modeling, religious habituation, integration of character values into learning materials, and school religious programs. These strategies contribute to the development of students’ religious character, discipline, responsibility, and social awareness. Supporting factors include a religious school environment, teachers’ commitment, and structured habituation programs, while inhibiting factors include differences in students’ family backgrounds and limited classroom learning time.