<![CDATA[Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi dampak fenomena fatherless—ketidakhadiran peran figur ayah baik secara fisik maupun psikologis—terhadap arsitektur kognitif dan perilaku belajar siswa di SMP Negeri 18 Mataram. Menggunakan lensa integratif Teori Sistem Bioekologis Bronfenbrenner dan Teori Perkembangan Kognitif Piaget, penelitian kualitatif dengan desain studi kasus ini membedah bagaimana defisit pengasuhan memicu malfungsi pada proses adaptasi intelektual remaja. Data dihimpun melalui wawancara mendalam, observasi non-partisipan di kelas, dan studi dokumentasi terhadap 10 siswa yang teridentifikasi mengalami kondisi fatherless. Hasil penelitian memetakan tiga tipologi ketidakhadiran ayah di wilayah urban-suburban Ampenan Selatan, yaitu: hambatan struktural akibat ritme kerja informal (psychological absence), pemisahan geografis demi tuntutan ekonomi (physical absence), serta pemutusan hubungan pasca-perceraian (kronosistem). Ketidakhadiran fungsional ini berdampak sistemik pada macetnya proses asimilasi dan akomodasi kognitif siswa di sekolah (mesosistem). Manifestasi nyata di lapangan meliputi rendahnya efikasi diri yang memicu kepasifan belajar, kelemahan logika prosedural dan nalar sebab-akibat , kekakuan skema mental (cognitive rigidity) dalam komunikasi abstrak , hingga munculnya sindrom learned helplessness yang menurunkan capaian akademik di bawah standar ketuntasan. Selain itu, kelumpuhan fungsi kontrol ayah berimplikasi pada kedangkalan penalaran moral (moral reasoning), ditandai dengan tingginya frekuensi pelanggaran tata tertib sekolah tanpa disertai beban rasa bersalah. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa pengasuhan ayah merupakan katalisator utama keseimbangan intelektual dan moral remaja. Sebagai implikasi praktis, disarankan bagi lembaga pendidikan untuk mengoptimalkan peran guru BK melalui konseling kelompok serta menginisiasi program parenting bersama ayah guna memulihkan rasa aman kognitif siswa. Kata Kunci: Fatherless, Arsitektur Kognitif, Remaja, Penalaran Moral, Teori Piaget Abstract: This study aims to explore the impact of the fatherless phenomenon—the physical or psychological absence of a father figure—on the cognitive architecture and learning behaviour of students at SMP Negeri 18 Mataram. Utilising the integrative lenses of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory and Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, this qualitative research employs a case study design to examine how parenting deficits trigger malfunctions in the intellectual adaptation processes of adolescents. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews, non-participant classroom observations, and documentary analysis involving ten students identified as experiencing fatherlessness. The findings map three typologies of father absence within the urban-suburban region of South Ampenan: structural constraints resulting from informal work routines (psychological absence), geographical separation driven by economic demands (physical absence), and the severing of relations post-divorce (chronosystem). This functional absence has a systemic impact, disrupting the processes of cognitive assimilation and accommodation within the school environment (mesosystem). Tangible manifestations in the field encompass low self-efficacy which triggers passive learning, weaknesses in procedural logic and causal reasoning, cognitive rigidity in abstract communication, and the emergence of learned helplessness syndrome, which reduces academic achievement below the minimum mastery standards. Furthermore, the paralysis of the father’s regulatory function leads to shallow moral reasoning, characterised by a high frequency of school discipline violations unaccompanied by feelings of guilt. This study concludes that fathering serves as a primary catalyst for an adolescent's intellectual and moral equilibrium. In terms of practical implications, educational institutions are advised to optimise the role of school counsellors through focused group counselling and to initiate joint parenting programmes with fathers to restore students' cognitive security.]]>
