Exploring the Lived Experiences of Islamic Religious Educators in Online Religious Instruction During the Pandemic: Insights into Spiritual Transformations

Abstract

Religious education plays a crucial role in shaping spiritual identity and moral development, particularly within Islamic educational contexts. As digital technology transforms teaching practices, the shift to online religious instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic presents new challenges and opportunities for spiritual pedagogy. However, little is known about how Islamic religious educators experience and interpret their spiritual roles in virtual environments. This study addresses this gap by asking: How do religious educators experience spirituality when teaching through online platforms during the pandemic? Using an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA), the study explores the lived experiences of ten Islamic religious education teachers who transitioned to digital teaching. These participants were selected from various Islamic educational institutions across urban and semi-urban areas in Indonesia, with teaching experience ranging from 5 to 20 years. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically. The research reveals that educators experienced a deepened sense of spiritual intentionality, reimagined pedagogical practices, and emotional struggles that ultimately led to meaningful transformation. These findings demonstrate that digital religious instruction can foster, rather than hinder, spiritual engagement when approached with reflective intention. The use of IPA allowed for a rich, contextual interpretation of educators’ narratives, uncovering the nuanced ways spirituality is enacted and reconstructed in digital spaces. This study advances our understanding of religious education as a dynamic, adaptive, and deeply personal practice, and it highlights the value of phenomenological methods in exploring spiritual dimensions in contemporary pedagogical settings.