SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS' ROLES IN SHAPING STUDENTS' SOCIAL CHARACTER AT AN ISLAMIC JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

This study examined how social studies teachers shaped the social character of grade-nine students and how their instructional strategies supported that process in an Islamic junior secondary school in Malang, Indonesia. A descriptive qualitative case-study design was used. The case focused on two social studies teachers and two grade-nine classes comprising 49 students; four students were selected purposively for in-depth interviews, while school leaders, other teachers, and administrative personnel supplied contextual information. Data were collected through classroom and school observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. The data were analyzed iteratively through reduction, organized display, interpretation, and conclusion drawing, with triangulation across sources and techniques. The findings show that the teachers worked simultaneously as facilitators, motivators, evaluators, and behavioral models. Group discussion, social case analysis, project work, museum-based learning, varied media, and community service created opportunities to practice confidence, cooperation, responsibility, tolerance, discipline, and respectful communication. A religious school culture, character-oriented extracurricular activities, and separate learning environments for boys and girls strengthened implementation. However, digital distraction, exposure to unreliable information, heterogeneous classroom needs, and teachers' additional administrative duties remained significant challenges. The study indicates that social-character formation is strongest when teacher roles, adaptive pedagogy, assessment, and the wider school ecosystem operate as an integrated system.