Communication Strategies of Qur’an Teachers in Regulating the Mood of Young Children in Qur’anic Learning at Surau Umam (Asrama Wang Ulu)

Abstract

This study aims to describe and analyse the communication strategies employed by a Qur’an teacher in regulating the mood of young children during Qur’anic learning at Surau Umam, Asrama Wang Ulu, Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia. The focus of the study is directed towards the forms of verbal and non-verbal communication used by the teacher, the effectiveness of these strategies in restoring children’s readiness to learn, and the obstacles that arise in practice. The research is grounded in the reality that young children possess emotional capacities that are not yet mature, so that their mood shifts occur rapidly and often disrupt the Qur’anic learning process, which requires concentration. Bandura’s social cognitive theory and humanistic perspectives in Islamic education are employed to interpret the teacher’s role as both a model and a companion in children’s emotional development. This research adopts a qualitative descriptive method, using data collection techniques in the form of passive participant observation and semi-structured interviews with one Qur’an teacher as the primary informant and children as the observational context. The findings show that the teacher develops a range of communication strategies such as emotional validation, the use of humour, the provision of limited choices, and the utilisation of facial expressions, physical touch, and the regulation of interpersonal distance as means of emotional co-regulation for children. These strategies are proven to be reasonably effective in reducing children’s anxiety, boredom, and frustration, although the teacher still faces constraints in the form of limited time, differences in children’s temperament, and a lack of formal training support in emotional management.