Exploring Religious Education and Character Development in Pesantren: A Phenomenological Study
Main Article Content
Abstract
Religious education plays a central role in shaping the moral and ethical development of individuals, particularly within Islamic institutions like pesantren. However, research on the subjective experiences of students in these settings remains limited, especially regarding the internalization of religious teachings. Previous studies often overlook the complex, personal processes through which students internalize and apply religious values in their lives. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring how religious education shapes students' characters and worldview through a phenomenological approach. We adopted a phenomenological methodology to examine the lived experiences of students and teachers within pesantren, aiming to uncover the meanings they attribute to their religious education. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 22 participants, including teachers and students, and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that religious education significantly influences students' moral development, guiding them to internalize values such as responsibility, discipline, and integrity, despite societal challenges such as the fast-paced technological advancements, materialism, and individualism in a modern context. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the transformative power of religious education and highlight the need for further research on the integration of religious values in students’ daily lives. The study underscores the importance of examining subjective experiences in educational settings and offers valuable insights for the future development of religious education programs.
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Abdullah, I., Hudayana, B., Kutanegara, P. M., & Indiyanto, A. (2019). Beyond School Reach: Character Education in Three Schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 9(3), 145–159. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.2478/jesr-2019-0032
Akhyar, M., & Suryani, N. (2019). Development frameworks of the Indonesian partnership 21 st -century skills standards for prospective science teachers: A Delphi study. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 8(1), 89–100. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v8i1.11647
Alberts, W. (2019). Religious education as small ‘i’ indoctrination: How european countries struggle with a secular approach to religion in schools. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 9(4), 53–72. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.688
Corrêa, V. S., Queiroz, M. M., Cruz, M. A., & Shigaki, H. B. (2022). Entrepreneurial orientation far beyond opportunity: The influence of the necessity for innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 28(4), 952–979. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-06-2021-0518
Cremers, A. L., Alege, A., Nelissen, H. E., Okwor, T. J., Osibogun, A., Gerrets, R., & Van’T Hoog, A. H. (2019). Patients’ and healthcare providers’ perceptions and practices regarding hypertension, pharmacy-based care, and mHealth in Lagos, Nigeria: A mixed methods study. Journal of Hypertension, 37(2), 389–397. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000001877
Ebenso, B., Newell, J., Emmel, N., Adeyemi, G., & Ola, B. (2019). Changing stigmatisation of leprosy: An exploratory, qualitative life course study in Western Nigeria. BMJ Global Health, 4(2). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001250
Fitriyah, F. K., Hidayah, N., & Hambali, I. M. (2022). Analysis of Character Values in the Indonesian Nation’s Motto “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” through An Emancipatory Hermeneutical Study. Pegem Egitim ve Ogretim Dergisi, 12(1), 1–9. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.12.01.01
Haryani, H., Astriyani, E., & Devana, V. T. (2021). Exploration of Islamic Religious Learning Innovation Technology with the iLearning Approach. APTISI Transactions on Technopreneurship, 3(2), 75–86. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.34306/att.v3i2.211
Hastasari, C., Setiawan, B., & Aw, S. (2022). Students’ communication patterns of islamic boarding schools: The case of Students in Muallimin Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. Heliyon, 8(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08824
Hermino, A., & Arifin, I. (2020). Contextual character education for students in the senior high school. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(3), 1009–1023. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.12973/EU-JER.9.3.1009
Hudaefi, F. A., Caraka, R. E., & Wahid, H. (2022). Zakat administration in times of COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: A knowledge discovery via text mining. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 15(2), 271–286. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMEFM-05-2020-0250
Jerome, L., & Kisby, B. (2022). Lessons in character education: Incorporating neoliberal learning in classroom resources. Critical Studies in Education, 63(2), 245–260. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2020.1733037
Mas’ud, A., Fuad, A. Z., & Zaini, A. (2019). Evolution and orientation of Islamic education in Indonesia and Malaysia. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 13(1), 1–20. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2019.13.1.21-49
Metcalfe, J., & Moulin-Stożek, D. (2021). Religious education teachers’ perspectives on character education. British Journal of Religious Education, 43(3), 349–360. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2020.1713049
Muhtar, T., Supriyadi, T., Lengkana, A. S., & Hanifah, S. (2019). Religious characters-based physical education learning in elementary school. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 18(12), 211–239. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.12.13
Van Manen, M. (2016). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Routledge.
Gallagher, D. J. (2020). Phenomenology and religious education: Understanding experience in the religious classroom. Religious Education, 115(4), 431–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2020.1763577
Finlay, L. (2009). Phenomenology for therapists: Researching the lived world. Wiley-Blackwell.