NEW SOCIAL RELATIONS AT THE SCHOOL DINING TABLE: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY ON THE FREE NUTRITIOUS MEAL PROGRAM AND STUDENT SOCIAL INTERACTION DYNAMICS AT SMP

Abstract

This study aims to explore and analyze in depth the formation of new social relations and the dynamics of interaction among students through the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Program at SMP Muhammadiyah Limbung. This policy not only impacts the fulfillment of students' nutritional needs and physical health, but also functions as a new social space (commensality policy) that alters the landscape of daily interaction within the school environment. This study utilized a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach. Data were collected through participant observation during lunch hours, in-depth interviews with students, teachers, and program managers, as well as documentation. The data were sociologically analyzed using domain, taxonomic, and cultural theme analysis techniques to map the shift in emerging social relation patterns. The results indicate that the school dining table transforms into a fluid and inclusive arena of social negotiation. First, the Free Nutritious Meal Program successfully diminishes socioeconomic divides (social stratification) among students due to the uniformity of consumption. Second, interactions at the dining table trigger the birth of "new social relations," characterized by the strengthening of organic solidarity, the growth of a sharing culture, and a decrease in the intensity of bullying due to increased informal communication among previously exclusive peer groups or cliques. Third, Islamic and Muhammadiyah values (such as dining etiquette and togetherness) are naturally internalized through this new habituation. This study concludes that school communal dining programs are not merely tools for nutritional fulfillment, but a strategic cultural space that is effective in building social cohesion and an inclusive character among students in faith-based educational institutions