First Greeting, The Key to a Friendly Heart the Effect of Morning Habituation on Students' Polite and Polite Character at SD Negeri 08 Pemahan

Abstract

Character education is an essential component of elementary education because it contributes to the development of students' personalities, social attitudes, and behavior. Among the character values that should be cultivated from an early age are politeness, courtesy, and respect for others, as demonstrated through greeting teachers, exchanging greetings, shaking hands respectfully, using appropriate language, respecting peers, and complying with school rules. This study aimed to describe the implementation of morning habituation activities and examine their contribution to developing polite and respectful behavior among students at Sekolah Dasar Negeri (SD Negeri) 08 Pemahan. The study involved 45 students who participated in morning habituation activities. A descriptive research approach was employed, with data collected through observations, interviews, and documentation. The observation indicators included greeting teachers, demonstrating respectful attitudes, using polite language, respecting peers, and maintaining discipline and orderly behavior. The data were analyzed by categorizing observed behaviors according to predefined character indicators and presenting their frequencies and percentages in tables. Morning habituation was examined as a character education strategy that emphasized teacher role modeling, repeated positive behaviors, and interpersonal interactions that fostered a welcoming and respectful school environment. However, the extent of behavioral change could not be established without documented comparative observations conducted before and after program implementation. The study highlighted the potential practical contribution of structured morning habituation activities to character education in elementary schools while emphasizing the importance of systematic behavioral assessment in evaluating their outcomes.