THE EFFORTS OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS TEACHERS IN IMPROVING THE ABILITY TO READ THE AL-QUR'AN WRITING IN CLASS IV STUDENTS INPRIMARY SCHOOL

Article Info ABSTRACT Articlehistory: Received Nov 18, 2021 Revised Dec 20, 2021 Accepted Jan 22, 2022 The purpose of this study concerns (1) describing the form of the teacher's efforts in improving the students' reading and writing skills of the Al-Qur'an; (2) after describing the teacher's efforts, it can be seen the factors that are supporting and hindering Islamic religious education teachers in improving Al-Qur'an reading and writing skills. This type of research is descriptive qualitative. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and documentation. This study uses data analysis techniques, consisting of the data collectionstages, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions, while the validity of the data is done by checking the results of interviews, data sources, and implementation time. The research results conducted by Islamic Religious Education teachers are (1) the efforts of Islamic Religious Education teachers in improving Students' reading and writing skills of the Qur'an are to collaborate with students' parents, create good learning conditions, and conduct learning in a comfortable place. (2) The advantages and disadvantages of improving the reading and writing skills of the Qur'an, the advantages are the cooperation between parents and Islamic Education teachers and the support of the school principal. In contrast, the disadvantages are the lack of facilities and infrastructure such as books that can increase students' interest in learning to write the Qur'an.


INTRODUCTION
An education's success is primarily determined by the presence of an affectionate relationship between teachers and students. This connection makes the student feel secure so that they do not feel afraid of their teacher or run away from his knowledge. A teacher is a public figure in which the student takes him as a good role model. Hence, a teacher's demeanor, personally or socially, must have high morality, which the student always takes as exemplary in their daily life.
The effort to improve students'skill of reciting and writing the Qur'an is also cannot be separated by their teacher efforts. Especially if the student is elementary school students in which most of them are incapable of many things, and they need an extra effort from the religious education teacher to improve their skill of reciting and writing the Qur'an. It is because the skill of reciting and writing includes the skill that needs to be learned on purpose. It does not do the same with learning to speak. The ability to listen and speak can be derived automatically, and specifically, children can learn those functions by themselves. 1 Atthe Elementary Education level, the outcome of the essential skill expected from its graduates is the correct foundation of faith. Another one is that students can recite, write, and understand selected verses, with indicators such as (1) students can recite selected verses; (2) students can write selected verses; (3) students can understand the translation of selected verses. 2 In those indicators, it is observable that indeed the skills expected from Elementary school level is, one of them, the students can recite and write the Qur'an.
In Elementary School, reciting and writing the Qur'an includes in Islamic Religion Education (PAI) scope. Everyone already knows that the Islamic Education subject time portion in Public schools is inadequate than Islambased schools. Thus,it is not surprising if we hear that there are elementary school children who are still unable to read and write the Qur'an, but this should not be an excuse for the teacher, specifically, to constantly strive and give them all to teach the student.
Actually, the Qur'an education in Elementary school is not only the obligation of the teacher but also the task for the Muslim, especially parents. The believers who believe in the Book of Allah, the Qur'an as the guidance to all Muslims. So that all students, in this case, elementary school students, understand the Qur'an, one of the ways is to read or recite. In Islam, performing Qur'an education and teaching is a Muslim deed to Allah the Almighty. Parents who teach their children to recite and write the Qur'an have fulfilled their rights toward children, and it is the right to keep away their children to be avoided from the hellfire. In the Qur'an, there are many verses instructing parents to educate their children. One of them is the Surah/Chapter of An-Nahl verses 125, which says as follows: Meaning: Invite (human kind) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.
The reason for such emphasis on providing Qur'anic education to children is based on the idea that childhood is an ideal time for building character. Children will accept and absorb any image painted to them at this age. Before absorbing the negative pictures or images, they need to be preceded with the education to recite the Qur'an atan early age. If the Qur'an education is too late in this age, later it will be challenging to provide Qur'an teaching, and it will require extra energy for it.
Islamic Religion Education Teachers (GPAI) are educators who carry out guidance, teaching, and or training activities consciously for their students to achieve the goals of Islamic education.Islamic religious education aims to establish and improve faith by providing an enriching knowledge, appreciation, experience, and practices of students regardingIslamic religion so that they become good Muslims who must develop in terms of faith, piety in the life of nation and state, and able to continue to a higher level of education. 3

THEORETICAl FOUNDATION 1. Islamic Religion Education Teacher's Task
Meanwhile, the task of Islamic Religious Education Teachers is to try to guide, teach consciously, and or train students so that they can: 1) Improving faith and piety to Allah the Almighty instilled within the family environment.
2) Channeling their talent and interest to study religious knowledge and developing it optimally, they can use it for themselves and be helpful to the people around them. 3) Rectifying mistakes, shortcomings, and weaknesses in faith, understanding, and practicing Islam teaching in their daily lives. 4) Preventing and deflecting negative influences from other beliefs, cultures, understandings that harm and hinder students' beliefsdevelopment on Islam. 5) Adjusting themselves to their social environment or physical environment corresponds to Islam teachings. 6) Teaching Islamic principles as life guidance to achieve happiness in the world and the afterlife. 7) Able to understand and absorb Islam religion knowledge thoroughly corresponding to students' absorption ability and the available limited time. 4

Professionalism of Islamic Religion Education Teacher
Teachers'duties, related to their professional capabilities, aside fromrequiring to work on the procedure, are also required to master a solid basic knowledge, the relationship between the knowledge base and work practice, and support for imaginative and creative thinking.
In short, it can be said that the teacher's professional ability is essentially an estuary of the essential ability, profound comprehension regarding children as students and learning objects,and a conducive situation for learning activities to take place. Based on this understanding, it can be said that professional work can only be done by those who are specifically prepared for the job, that is, by institutions that prepare teachersas professionals, such as the Faculty of Teacher Training or the Faculty of Tarbiyah.
The Teacher Education Development Project (P3G) departs from an analysis of the teacher's duties, either as an educator, supervisor or as a class administrator dividing teacher competencies into ten competencies, e.g.: (1) mastering lesson material, (2) managing teaching studying program, (3) managing, (4) applying media/studying resource, (5) mastering the basis of education, (6) managing studying-teaching interaction, (7) assessing learning achievement, (8) knowing function and service, (9) recognizing and organizing school administration, (10) understanding and interpreting research result for teaching purposes. 5 The teacher holds a position or profession that requires specific skills as a teacher to educate the children. For finding out about whom the teacher is, in this case, it is necessary to examine the meaning of the teacher stated by experts and education experts, including: 1. According to ZakiyahDarajat, she says that: a teacher is a professional educator; hence implicitly,a teacher has volunteered himself to teach and accept some of the responsibilities that fall on the shoulders of parents. 6 2. Athiyah Al-Abrosy, a teacher, is a spiritual father or spiritual mentor for a student who feeds the soul with knowledge and moral education that justifies it.So, one respects a teacher is the same as respecting our children, with the teacher they live and develop, if every teacher carries out his duties as good as it takes. 7 Given the comprehension or definition regarding "the efforts or attempt' and "teacher," one can conclude that generally, a teacher's effort or attempt is an activity carried out by an educator to guide, educate, teach, and transfer knowledge conforming to the skill and professionalism they have to achieve the targetted or desired outcome.

Teacher's Competence as Educator
Competence is an obligatory ability for a teacher to perform their duties as an educator toeducate student correctly. Given this explanation, competency cannot be separated from education and learning activities. The word 'competency' comes from English, 'competence,'synonymous with skill or ability. According to the Indonesian dictionary, competency is an authority (power) to determine (decide) something or a particular matter. If competence means ability or skill, this is closely related to selecting a teacher's knowledge, abilities, or skills. Therefore, a teacher's competence is a selection of teaching knowledge and skills as an educator to perform their duties so that the student they teach becomes fully qualified human.A teacher must have three competencies: pedagogic competence, social competence, and professional competence.
The pedagogic competence includes teachers' knowledge of their students, planning and executing the lesson, learning outcome evaluation, and developing students to actualize their potential to be better.
Personality competence is a personal ability reflecting a sturdy personality, stable, mature, wise, and prestigious, becoming a good role model for students, and having noble character.
Social competence is the teacher's ability to communicate and socialize effectively with their students, coeducators, education staff, students' parents or guardians, and the surrounding communities.
The professional competence constitutes the mastery of lesson material profoundly and extensively, covering mastering the subject material in the curriculum at school and scientific backgrounds overseeing its material, and mastering scientific structure and methodology. 8 The fourth competencies above are holistic and integrative in teachers' performance. Hence, as a whole, the figure of a teacher's competence includes (a) knowing their students thoroughly; (b) mastering their subject either in disciplinary content or lesson material within the school's curriculum (c) implementing educational learning, which includes lesson planning and implementation, evaluation of learning processes and outcomes, as well as follow-up for improvement and enrichment; and (d) developing personality and professionality continuously. A teacher who has good competence will be able to perform their duties professionally.

Definition of Reciting Writing the Qur'an
Reciting is essentially a complex action involving many aspects. It is not just reciting a letter but also involves visual activity, thinking, psycholinguistic, and metacognitive. Reciting constitutes translating written symbols (letters) into spoken words as a visual process. 9 The visual sensory always involves directly, either for purposedly or unintentional spelling activity as a visual activity. This visual activity is inevitable or cannot be avoided in ordinary life and comes naturally, and it is always correlated to the surrounding environment. The fact shows that Humans are constantly faced with all kinds of slogans in various mass media, rules in the form of traffic signs, and also rules about procedures for carrying out an activity, and many other things that unconsciously force the eye to do its job in reading.
Before the student can read (recite sound or language symbols) verses in the Qur'an, firstly, they have to recognize or know the letters, or so-called Hajaiyah letters. Recognizing these letters can be attained by observing and paying attention to the teacher's explanation in the class and when he writes on the board. Meanwhile, reading exercises can be carried out by reading the sentence accompanied with the figure or written. Given the above opinion, it can be concluded thatlearning to read is a learning activity that is not emphasized on efforts to understand information but is at the stage of reciting (reciting) symbols. The purpose of learning to read at the beginning is so that students can read words in simple sentences smoothly and orderly.

Ability to Understand and Feel the Qur'an
For comprehending and feeling the Qur'an, it is required sound writing or reading skills. Related to the students' ability issue, Bloom et al. classify the ability into three types, i.e.: 10 a. Cognitive Domain b. Affective Domain c. Psychomotor Ability

The Process to Learn Reading and Writing the Qur'an
The learning process means a stage in the education to read the Qur'an. Every learning process they take is followed by a sub-learning process and a series of stages. These phases can be found in every education pathway. In a book entitled 'KitabahMetodePraktisMembaca dan Menulis Al-Qur'an,' it is mentioned that the first learning process is the classical method, the teacher teaches every lesson material to the students and providesa correct and suitable example to pronounce or recite and how to write it. Secondly, in the recited method, the student recites the examples of sentences previously provided; meanwhile, the teacher listens carefully and clarifies every student's mispronunciation or misspell. Thirdly, independent way, the student learns independently the lesson material they obtain at school.
The learningprocess to read and write the Qur'an above is so that they emphasize the accuracy of its Makhroj on each letter, the pronunciationlength (Mad), and Ghunnah. After students can read correctly, they can be instructed to copy the examples of existing sentences because they will be easier to memorize and master the material by writing. 11

Factors Affecting the Qur'an Learning
The factors affecting the Qur'an learning are: a. Internal Factor This factor is divided into three parts: Physical factors, includingJahiniahfactors, are: first of all, health, where a person's health will affect his learning. Furthermore, second, a body defect is something that causes imperfections about the body. This state of disability also affects learning.
Psychological factors are divided into four parts, e.g.: (1) Intelligence, include skills consisting of three types, such as the ability to deal with and adapt to new situations quickly and effectively, to know abstract concepts effectively, and to know relationships in their surrounding and learn them well. (2) Attention element isthe one that can guarantee good learning outcomes; students must have attention to the

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Journal homepage: https://bajangjournal.com/index.php/IJSS lesson material they are studying. If the subject lesson material is not a student's attention, boredom arises, so he no longer likes to study. (3) Interest is the tendency to pay attention to the lesson and store several activities in their mind. (4) Talent is the ability to learn, in which this ability will only be established into fundamental skills after a series of learning or practicing. b. External Factor There are two external factors, e.g.,Family factors, here are (1) the way parents educate, for example, indifferent to their children's learning, not paying attention at all to their children's needs in learning, not wanting to know how their children's learning progress.
(2) The most crucial relationship between family members is the relationship between parents and their children. The form of sucha relationship, for example, is entirely affectionate and caring or filled with hatred or forceful or harsh parenting and et cetera.
(3) Household atmosphere is intended as a situation that often occurs in the family where they are and study. The home atmosphere is also an essential factor that is not deliberate. Community environmental factors, an uneducated community environment can affect student interest in learning; additionally, student activities in social life also determine this students'success in learning.

METHODS A. Research Type
The research type applied in this study is Qualitative Approach. Regarding these research problems, the researcher has a work plan or guidelines for conducting research using a qualitative approach, in which the opinions, responses, information, concepts, and descriptions are collected in the form of descriptions in expressing problems.
This qualitative research method is used based on several considerations: This method directly connects the researcher with the respondent, and more precisely, this method adapts to the mutual sharpening of the value patterns encountered.

B. Data Source
Types of qualitative research data sources can be classified as follows: 1. Informant In this study, the authors obtained information/data through interviews from the principal, teachers, and students in grades 1 to 6 so that relevant information/data were obtained.

Event or Activity
By making direct observations of the teaching and learning process, researchers can see how interest in learning, the role of the teacher, and the methods used by teachers in teaching their students are so that interest in learning can increase.

Document or Archives
In this study, the authors store various documents as research evidence such as photographs while students are studying, various question instruments, and direct answers from students, teachers, and school principalsthat can be used as data.

C. Research Instrument
Data collection instruments are tools selected and used by researchers in their collecting activities so that these activities become systematic and facilitate the process.In qualitative research, the main instrument is the researcher himself, but after the focus of the research becomes apparent, it is possible to develop a simple research instrument, which is expected to be able to complete the data and compare it with the data that has been found through observation and interviews. 12 One of the activities in research is compiling research instruments in an effort by researchers to collect data, so research will be detailed if precise researches instruments support it.The instruments used in this research are observation, interview, and documentation. The data collection techniques that researchers can use to collect data are: Observation, Interview, and Documentation

D. Data Analysis Technique
The data analysis model in this study reveals that the activities in qualitative data analysis are carried out interactively and take place continuously at each stage of the research until it is complete. The components in data analysis are: 1

. Data Reduction
The author's data from interviews, observations, and documentation results were collected in field notes that were still complex, and then with reduction, the authors summarized and took the primary and essential data.

Data Presentation
The presentation of data here is only limited topresenting a structured set of information that allows drawing conclusions and taking action. Based on the data collected, it can be categorized that several factors cause students to have difficulty learning to read, write, and count.

Data Verification and Deduction
The third step in qualitative data analysis is drawing conclusions and verification. Conclusions in qualitative research may be able to answer the problem formulation that was formulated from the start because the problem and problem formulation in qualitative research is still temporary and will develop after examination in the field. 13 This research is expected to answer the formulation of the problem stated at the beginning, supported by valid and consistent evidence in collecting data, and then the conclusions put forward are credible conclusions.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A. PAI Teachers' Efforts in Improving Al-Qur'an Reading and Writing Skills
PAI teachers' efforts in improving the reading and writing skills of the Qur'an are how PAI teachers make all the efforts in their power to improve the students' reading and writing skills of the Qur'an. Based on the results of the interview with the principal above, it is known that the efforts made by PAI teachers are to add hours of reciting during breaks, so there is cooperation with the TPA (Qur'an Education Ground) from each area where the students live. By cooperating with parents and school, students actively know how to read where they recite in TPA and write their Arabic language. In addition to writing taught in school, the PAI teacher also teaches how to teach using Iqra.
Lessons of Islamic Religious Education in-class students every Tuesday in the first hour for 3 hours of lessons; after completing 3 hours, they immediately take a break. Nevertheless, the rest time only allows the students to buy snacks, beverages, and other foods, then take them to class and wait for their turn to study.
However, this method is only dedicated to students who are not yet able to read the Qur'an. In the hope of doing this activity, students can read well and correctly.
The lesson of Islamic Education provided by the teacher at the lesson hour is only 3 hours of lesson, which not only teaches reading the Qur'an but in its study, there are various kinds of lessons such as worship, fiqh, Islamic history and et cetera. Indeed, there is no time to read the Qur'an. Students need exceptional guidance. Learning to read the Qur'an by using the Iqra method is very helpful for students in improving how to read it and the easy way they recite to it corresponding to its short, long mark.
Many parents see changes in the ability to read the Qur'an of the students. It is shown at the beginning of the lesson every morning, at the time of reading Dua to learn to continue reading short suras alternately, and then the students can mention their reading according to their respective heights.
The efforts made by Elementary School teachers can be seen from the results of interviews with PAI teachers at school, that the efforts made in improving the ability to read the Qur'an are not only internal but also external. Meanwhile, PAI teachers also collaborated with the out-of-school parties, namely with the parents, to provide motivation and encouragement for their children to improve the reading of the Qur'an in the TPA or the place where they recite the Qur'an, respectively.
The learning of reciting and writing the Qur'an is an additional lesson for the teacher of the Qur'an, in learning that the teacher of the Qur'an gives guidance in writing and reading the Qur'an.In the process of learning teaching that is scheduled in the roster of lessons that PAI teaching in the Elementary School is only 3 hours of lessons per week, but to fulfillteaching time to 24 hours per week then, the Religious Education teacher added extra hours for 1 hour of lessons that is the lesson ofreciting and writing the Quran.
Students are taught to read and write the Qur'an, but only in the lesson hours, the allocation is not maximum to improve the students'ability, especially students who are actually less capable in reciting the Qur'an. Consequently, PAI teachers provide exceptional guidance to students who cannot teach during their break time at school.
One of the attempts to bind the ability to recite and write the Qur'an is to give additional lessons outside of the lesson hours, so it is difficult to insert in the PAI lesson hours because the allocationis already regulated by the curriculum, while students are not only learning religion in general, but they must also know how to study and write it.According to the guidance performed by the PAI teacher, the outcome is students; get an increased grade in Islam Education subject, as said by one of the students who followed the guidance of reciting and writing the Qur'an.

B. Factors Supporting and Inhibiting Teacher's Efforts in Improving the students'ability to recite and write the Qur'an in Grade IV
Talking about the efforts of PAI teachers in improving the ability to read and write the Qur'an in students, of course, their abilities are not just come naturally, but there are also supporting factors and factors that become obstacles. Supporting factors, the first is from the students themselves/intellectual factors, although it is likely that some students might can not able to read and write well just yet.
Factors supporting the efforts of PAI teachers in improving the ability to read and write the Qur'an in students there are students who are indeed actively studying at the TPA. Furthermore, some students can only read without paying attention to the length, or the wording pronunciation is almost the same. Therefore the school holds a meeting with parents, intending to explain that their children will be given guidance on the Koran at school.
So it is essential cooperation between parents, teachers, and the TPA where the students recite the Qur'an. When students obtain reading and writing the Koran lessons, they are not only able to read, but they are also able to write Arabic or the Qur'an. This ability is one of the main goals of Islamic religious education, being able to read, write the Qur'an and be able to apply the religious lessons learned in class.
It is still related to the factors that support the efforts of PAI teachers in improving the ability to read and write the Qur'an in students, including the existence of facilities and their use. Apart from supporting factors, there are also inhibiting factors; in schools, the main factor that becomes an obstacle comes from the students themselves.
Some parents still do not pay attention to their children, especially in terms of the Qur'an recitation ability, maybe because of their busyness or because their parents really think that school is the only place to get knowledge, so many students lose interest in the Qur'an.

CONCLUSION
Based on the data presentation and analysis that the researchers have described from the title "Efforts of Islamic Religious Education Teachers in Improving the Reading and Writing Ability of the Qur'an in Grade IV Students," this study concludes the following. 1. The efforts conducted by Islamic religious education teachers in improving students' reading and writing skills of the Qur'an are: by collaborating with students' parents, creating good learning conditions, and conducting learning in a comfortable place. The method used by PAI teachers in improving the reading and writing skills of the Qur'an in grade IV students is to use the Iqra method, which significantly helps students in reading the Qur'an with excellent and correct pronunciation. 2. The advantages and disadvantages in improving the ability to read and write the Qur'an are (1) the advantages are the cooperation between parents and PAI teachers and the support from the school principal, and (2) the drawback is the lack of facilities and equipment such as books that can increase students' learning interest in writing the Qur'an.

SUGGESTION
The efforts of teachers in elementary schools in improving the ability to read and write the Qur'an in grade IV students showed positive results. However, these results will be even better if they are maintained and improved and strengthen the cooperative relationship between teachers, parents, and the TPA.