PAI Teachers' Strategy in Resolving the Phenomenon of Correct Greetings in Students at IT Dhiya'ul Falah Middle School Lendang Nangka Utara

Abstract

This study aims to describe the phenomenon of greeting (salam) practices among students, analyze the strategies used by Islamic Religious Education (PAI) teachers in correcting students' understanding and practice of salam in accordance with Islamic law, and identify the obstacles faced by PAI teachers at SMP IT Dhiya'ul Falah Lendang Nangka Utara. This research employed a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through participatory observation, structured interviews with the PAI teacher, the school principal, and students, as well as documentation studies, and were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model, with credibility verified through source, technique, and time triangulation. The findings indicate that the practice of greeting and responding to salam has become an embedded habit among students, expressed both verbally and through respectful attitudes, as part of the pesantren-based educational culture. The PAI teacher applies strategies of routine habituation, exemplary modeling, instruction on proper procedures and rulings of salam, supervision, reminders, and reinforcement through religious activities. The obstacles identified were relatively minor and situational, including student forgetfulness, distraction with peers, being in a hurry, shyness outside the classroom, and the transitional adjustment period of seventh grade students. This study confirms that the success of salam habituation depends on the synergy between teacher exemplification, sustained supervision, and the support of a pesantren based school ecosystem, while also offering a mapping of situational obstacles that has been underexplored at the Integrated Islamic Junior High School level.