The Role of Congregational Dhuha Prayer Habituation in Fostering Students’ Discipline and Spiritual Intelligence
Abstract
The decline of student discipline and the limited integration of spiritual development in primary education highlight the need for holistic educational approaches, particularly in Islamic school contexts. This study investigates the role of congregational Dhuha prayer habituation in fostering students’ discipline and spiritual intelligence in an Islamic elementary school. A qualitative case study design was employed, involving one principal, two teachers, and eleven sixth-grade students selected purposively based on their direct and sustained participation in the program. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis, and analyzed using the interactive qualitative model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings indicate that the congregational Dhuha prayer program functioned as a structured institutional routine that supported punctuality, procedural readiness, behavioral responsibility, emotional calmness, intrinsic religious motivation, and growing spiritual competence. Students’ repeated participation in communal worship fostered both observable disciplinary behaviors and internal spiritual development within a supportive educational environment. This study contributes a co-emergence perspective, demonstrating that discipline and spiritual intelligence may develop simultaneously through a single embodied religious practice rather than as separate educational outcomes. The findings suggest that structured spiritual habituation may serve as a meaningful pedagogical strategy for holistic character formation in Islamic primary education
References
Arif, M., Chapakiya, S., & Dewi, A. Y. (2024). Character education in Indonesian Islamic elementary schools: A systematic literature review (2014–2024). J-PAI: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.18860/jpai.v11i1.29301
Arlina, A., Pane, N. E., Sitorus, W., Munazah, A., & Koto, H. F. (2023). Pengaruh sholat Dhuha terhadap kecerdasan spiritual siswa di Pondok Pesantren At-Taufiqurrahman. Al-Wasathiyah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 2(2), 165–182. https://doi.org/10.56672/alwasathiyah.v2i2.82
Borba, M. (2001). Building moral intelligence: The seven essential virtues that teach kids to do the right thing. Jossey-Bass.
Boyatzis, C. J. (2005). Children’s religious and spiritual development. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 123–143). Guilford Press.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th, Ed.). Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018a). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018b). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2024). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (5th ed.). SAGE.
Dzikro, F. (2025). Upaya pembentukan karakter peserta didik melalui pembiasaan salat Dhuha di SDIT Insan Mulia Bojong Kulur Kabupaten Bogor. Jurnal Inovasi Pembelajaran Di Sekolah, 6(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.51874/jips.v6i1.302
Febriyanti, B. K., & Supriyadi. (2023). Fostering religious character in elementary school students: Insights from religious habituation activities. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Studies, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.21070/ijis.v11i3.1678
Fisher, J. W., & Francis, L. J. (2018). Modelling the effect of worship attendance and personal prayer on spiritual wellbeing among 9- to 11-year-old students. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 23(3), 277–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364436X.2018.1484652
Grasmane, I., Pipere, A., & Raščevskis, V. (2025). Effectiveness of a psycho-pedagogical intervention on spiritual intelligence, happiness, and spiritual well-being for primary school children. Journal of Happiness Studies, 26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-025-00841-x
Hidayah, R., Mu’awanah, E., Zamhari, A., Munardji, M., & Naqiyah, N. (2021). Learning worship as a way to improve students’ discipline, motivation, and achievement at school. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 8(3), 292–310. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/895
Hijriati, H., Hayati, Z., & Karnisah, K. (2023). Jarimatika method of daily prayer: Does it affect children’s spiritual intelligence? Atfaluna: Journal of Islamic Early Childhood Education, 6(1), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.32505/atfaluna.v6i1.6042
Khofi, M. B. (2024). Pembiasaan sholat Dhuha dalam membangun karakter disiplin siswa. Idarotuna: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 1(2), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.29313/idarotuna.v1i2.4960
Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility. Bantam.
Mahmudulhassan, Abuzar, M., Riazul, S. M., Rahman, O., & E-sor, A. (2024). Strategies for forming student discipline in Islamic elementary schools in Malaysia: A holistic approach in character education. Solo Universal Journal of Islamic Education and Multiculturalism, 2(3), 207–218. https://doi.org/10.61455/sujiem.v2i03.204
Masngut, M., Romelah, R., & Mardiana, D. (2024). Habituation of congregational prayer as a formation of good character at Madrasah Tsanawiyah Al Huda Blora. International Journal of Islamic Thought and Humanities, 3(2), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.54298/ijith.v3i2.364
Maulana, I., Haris, A., & Ihwan, I. (2025). Pengaruh pembiasaan ibadah terhadap pembentukan karakter disiplin anak di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Kota Bima. EL-Muhbib: Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Penelitian Pendidikan Dasar, 9(1), 259–269. https://doi.org/10.52266/el-muhbib.v9i1.4276
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage.
Nuraisyah, N. S., Sianturi, R., & Gardana, G. (2024). Preschool teachers’ strategies in building children’s religious character through Duha habituation in Nurul Huda Kindergarten. Anakta: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Anak Usia Dini, 3(1), 20–24. https://doi.org/10.35905/anakta.v3i1.9332
Pandya, S. P. (2017). Spirituality, happiness, and psychological well-being in 13- to 15-year-olds: A cross-country longitudinal RCT study. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 71(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1542305016687581
Rudini, R., Ruhimat, I., Jufri, J., Supriatna, Y., & Sadarela, S. (2025). The habituation method as a medium for character formation in Islamic education. MIMBAR PENDIDIKAN: Jurnal Indonesia Untuk Kajian Pendidikan, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.17509/mimbardik.v10i4.94093
Setyasri, A. S., & Anggraini, A. D. (2025). The role of Islamic guidance and counseling through Dhuha Akbar activities in enhancing the spiritual intelligence of adolescents in vocational high schools. Al-Munawwarah: Journal of Islamic Education, 1(2), 189–198. https://doi.org/10.38073/almunawwarah.v1i2.4327
Sidik, M., Marwan, I., Mulya, G., & Fadjarajani, S. (2025). Pembiasaan pendidikan karakter disiplin melalui kegiatan sholat Duha di SDIT At Taufiq Al Islamy Tasikmalaya. JISPE: Journal of Islamic Primary Education, 6(2), 262–270. https://doi.org/10.51875/jispe.v6i02.935
Sopiah, A., Fatoni, A. U., Yuliani, E., Afiani, S. L., Yuliyana, Y., Astuti, D., Aulia, F., Ulfiyah, U., & Hapidoh, S. (2026). The effectiveness of Dhuha prayer habituation activities in shaping students’ disciplinary and religious character. TOFEDU: The Future of Education Journal, 5(2), 1487–1492. https://doi.org/10.61445/tofedu.v5i2.1704
Zohar, D., & Marshall, I. (2000). SQ: Spiritual intelligence, the ultimate intelligence. Bloomsbury.
Copyright (c) 2026 Umar Manshur, Mohammad Hasyim, Nahid Ayad, Mona Novita, Filda Nuriah A'yun
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
