Teachers' Efforts to Build Fourth-Grade Students' Self-Confidence in Science Learning at an Islamic Elementary School

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the efforts made by a fourth-grade teacher at an Islamic elementary school in Indonesia to build student self-confidence through Natural and Social Sciences (IPAS) learning, how these efforts were implemented, and the factors that supported or inhibited student self-confidence. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected from the fourth-grade science teacher and 24 fourth-grade students (10 boys and 14 girls) at Budi Utomo Jatipurno Islamic Elementary School through classroom observation, unstructured interviews, and documentation, and were analyzed using the interactive model of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing, with credibility established through source and technique triangulation. The findings show that the teacher combined direct instruction, question-and-answer sessions, group discussion, and presentation with praise, open communication, emotional support, and deliberate classroom management to encourage active participation. Students displayed uneven levels of self-confidence: many became more willing to ask questions, discuss, and present, while others remained hesitant and required repeated encouragement. This variation was associated with internal factors (self-concept, self-assessment, physical condition, prior experience) and external factors (family, school, and community/peer environment). The study concludes that building elementary students' self-confidence in science learning is a gradual, teacher-scaffolded process shaped jointly by instructional strategy, feedback quality, and classroom climate, offering practical guidance for elementary teachers and teacher-training programs, particularly in supporting shy or hesitant learners.