TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE THROUGH GROUP DISCUSSION-BASED LEARNING AT SMAN 3 MAGETAN

Abstract

Islamic Religious Education requires instructional strategies that actively engage students in constructing and deepening their understanding of learning materials. This study aims to analyze the implementation of group discussion as an instructional method used by Islamic Religious Education teachers, identify the challenges encountered during its implementation, and examine its contribution to enhancing students’ knowledge at SMAN 3 Magetan. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach, with data collected through observation, interviews, and documentation and analyzed through data organization, coding, categorization, narrative presentation, and triangulation. The findings show that group discussion was implemented through lesson and objective planning, group formation, teacher guidance, facilitation, presentation, and evaluation. Its implementation faced challenges related to limited learning resources, differences in student participation, uncontrolled gadget use, group management, and limited instructional time, which teachers addressed through clear guidance, proportional task allocation, monitoring, motivation, and continuous assistance. The method contributed to students’ ability to understand and explain learning materials, think critically, express opinions, ask questions, and connect Islamic Religious Education concepts with everyday life. These findings indicate that group discussion can strengthen active participation and collaborative knowledge construction in Islamic Religious Education.