Family-Based Moral Character Development through Parental Uswatun Hasanah among Elementary School Children

Ninil Elfira; Azmatul Khairiah Sari; Armila Armila

doi:10.58485/jie.v5i1.637

Authors

Ninil Elfira Universitas Jambi, Indonesia
Azmatul Khairiah Sari Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
Armila Armila Universitas Islam Negeri Jurai Siwo Lampung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58485/jie.v5i1.637

Keywords:

Moral character development, parental role modeling, uswatun hasanah, family-based education, character education, elementary education

Abstract

Moral character development among elementary school students has become an important concern in contemporary education, particularly in the context of increasing challenges to children's moral and social behavior. Although character education has been widely discussed, limited studies have examined the role of parental uswatun hasanah (exemplary role modeling) as a family-based approach to strengthening children's moral character. This study aims to explore the implementation of family-based moral character strengthening through parental uswatun hasanah, identify supporting and inhibiting factors, and examine its impact on students' moral character development. A qualitative case study design was employed at a public elementary school in Indonesia. Data were collected through observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis involving 28 participants, including parents, teachers, the school principal, and students in grades IV–VI selected through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed thematically using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña framework. The findings reveal that the consistent practice of parental uswatun hasanah contributes significantly to the development of children's moral character, particularly in honesty, responsibility, discipline, and respect for others. Three major themes emerged from the analysis; i) parental role modeling in religious practices, ii) moral communication and value transmission within the family, and iii) consistency in Islamic value-based parenting. The study proposes a family-based moral character framework that highlights the central role of parental exemplarity in fostering positive moral behavior among elementary school students. These findings contribute to the literature on character education by emphasizing the integration of family engagement, moral communication, and Islamic values in children's character formation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alouzi, K., Atia, A., Omran, S., Alrumayh, S., Albshkar, H., Alatrish, E., Masuwd, M., & Alfallah, B. (2026). AI and Cultural Sensitivity: Student Perceptions of How AI Handles Religion, Identity, and Tradition in Texts. Muaddib: Journal of Islamic Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 1–21.

Bali, M. M. E. I., & Fadilah, N. (2019). Internalisasi Karakter Religius Di Sekolah Menengah Pertama Nurul Jadid. Jurnal MUDARRISUNA: Media Kajian Pendidikan Agama Islam, 9(1), 1689–1699. https://doi.org/10.22373/jm.v9i1.4125

Bandura, A. (2021). Social learning theory: New perspectives for the digital age. Prentice-Hall International. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.9.1175

Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 544–559. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1573

Berkowitz, M. W., & Bier, M. C. (2021). Research-based character education. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591(1), 72–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203260082

Castleberry, A., & Nolen, A. (2018). Thematic analysis of qualitative research data: Is it as easy as it sounds? Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 10(6), 807–815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2018.03.019

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Elfira, N., Roza, A., Rasdiany, A. N., & Wulandari, R. (2023). Eight parental strategies for educating the superior generation in Muslim families. El-Rusyd, 8(2), 87–96. https://doi.org/10.58485/elrusyd.v8i2.154

Engkizar, E, Jaafar, A., Alias, M., Guspita, B., & Albizar, R. (2025). Utilisation of Artificial Intelligence in Qur’anic Learning: Innovation or Threat? Journal of Quranic Teaching and Learning, 1(2), 1–17. https://joqer.intischolar.id/index.php/joqer/index

Engkizar, Engkizar, Jaafar, A., Hamzah, M. I., Syafril, S., Febriani, A., Oktavia, G., & Satrial, A. (2026). Quran Teachers’ Skills as Pedagogical Foundations: Conceptual and Practical Insights into Nine Competencies. Muaddib: Journal of Islamic Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 22–38.

Engkizar, Engkizar, Jaafar, A., Hamzah, M. I., Syafril, S., Oktavia, G., Febriani, A., & Albizar, A. (2026). Tartil Method as an Effective Strategy for Transforming Students’ Positive Attitudes in Learning the Qur’an. Journal of Quranic Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 50–63.

Engkizar, Engkizar, Muslim, H., Mulyadi, I., & Putra, Y. A. (2025). Ten Criteria for an Ideal Teacher to Memorize the Quran. Journal of Theory and Research Memorization Quran, 1(1), 26–39. https://joqer.intischolar.id/index.php/joqer

Fossey, E., Harvey, C., Mcdermott, F., & Davidson, L. (2002). Understanding and Evaluating Qualitative Research. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36(6), 717–732. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2002.01100.x

Friese, S. (2021). Qualitative data analysis with ATLAS.ti (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Halim, L., & Ahmad, N. (2020). Family-based moral education and its impact on children's character development: A Malaysian perspective. International Journal of Islamic Educational Psychology, 1(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.18196/ijiep.v1i2.9556

Hasan, M., Zubaidi, A., & Maulana, I. (2022). Peran keteladanan orang tua dalam pembentukan karakter religius anak usia sekolah dasar di Aceh. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 11(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpi.2022.111.45-62

Lickona, T. (2022). Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility (Updated ed.). Bantam Books. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203260082

Marzuki. (2021). Pendidikan karakter Islam: Landasan teori dan implementasi praktis (Ed. Revisi). Amzah.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Nurhayati, E., & Wahyudin, U. (2023). Komunikasi moral keluarga dan pembentukan karakter anak usia dasar: Studi fenomenologi di Jawa Barat. Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Islam, 21(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.15642/jipi.2023.21.1.1-18

Rahawarin, Y., Pelupessy, P. J., Haulusy, R. R., & Talaperuw, J. (2025). Millennial Generation’s Perception of Larwul Ngabal Customary Law on Dula Island Tual City. Multidisciplinary Journal of Thought and Research, 1(2), 1–12. https://mujoter.intischolar.id/index.php/mujoter/article/view/12

Sugiyono. (2020). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D (Ed. ke-2). Alfabeta.

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.