Teachers’ Strategies for Shaping Islamic Character in Elementary School Students with Special Needs

Tania Umairah (Universitas Islam Negri Fatmawati Sukarno Bengkulu)

Indonesian Journal of Character Education Studies
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025): Indonesian Journal of Character Education Studies, 2(2), 2025

Background: The formation of Islamic character among elementary students with special needs requires contextual, structured, and consistent strategies across school and family settings. Objective: To analyze teachers’ strategies for shaping the Islamic character of ABK at Fatma Kenanga Elementary School, Bengkulu City, and to map enabling and hindering factors. Method: Qualitative case study; purposive sampling of teachers and the principal. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focused observations, and document analysis, and analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s framework. Results: Character building employed four approaches: (1) exemplary conduct embedded in lesson plans and daily routines; (2) reinforcement of habitual practices; (3) social modeling; and (4) educative disciplinary measures. Implementation occurred daily with monthly character targets. Observable outcomes included worship practices, environmental stewardship, honesty (with variability), and discipline (persistent challenges with neatness after breaks). Supporting factors included educator solidarity and the relative ease of habit formation; family and neighborhood influences were ambivalent. Conclusion: When applied consistently and aligned with parental support, the combined strategies effectively strengthen the Islamic character of students with special needs. Originality/Value: This study offers empirical and theoretical novelty in the field of inclusive education and Islamic character development by uncovering an integrative, operational framework combining exemplary modeling, habitual reinforcement, social learning, and educative sanctions with monthly milestones concerning the cultivation of Islamic character among students with special needs (ABK) within the context of primary inclusive Islamic schooling, an area that has remained insufficiently documented. These findings enrich empirical evidence and serve as a strategic reference for designing inclusive character-building guidelines, developing child-friendly school policies, and establishing collaborative teacher-parent intervention models.