The Influence of Interpersonal Communication of Christian Religious Education Teachers on Students’ Discipline at SDN 157016 Lubuk Ampolu

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of interpersonal communication by Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers on students’ discipline at SDN 157016 Lubuk Ampolu-where tardiness and rule-bending seem to have achieved Olympic-level mastery. Education, at its heart, is a grand choreography of intellect, morality, and spirit, and CRE teachers play both conductor and counselor in this delicate dance. Using a quantitative correlational design supported by qualitative insights, the research explores how teachers’ openness, empathy, supportiveness, and honesty shape students’ behavioral and moral self-regulation. Data were collected through questionnaires from 60 students in grades IV-VI and complemented by interviews with teachers and students, because numbers alone, as we know, never tell the whole story (and sometimes lie politely). Statistical analysis using simple linear regression revealed a significant positive correlation (R² = 0.412, p < 0.05), indicating that nearly half of the variation in student discipline can be attributed to teachers’ interpersonal communication-an impressive feat, considering the remaining 58.8% is probably influenced by parents, peers, and Pokémon. Qualitative findings further highlight that communication grounded in empathy and faith transforms discipline from a fear-based compliance into a voluntary moral choice rooted in Christian virtue. In essence, the study affirms that when teachers speak not just to students’ ears but also to their souls-with patience, love, and the occasional divine wink-discipline ceases to be punishment and becomes formation. Effective communication, therefore, is both pedagogy and ministry, nurturing students who are not only obedient but spiritually anchored in the teachings of Christ.