Implementing an Islamic Religious Education Model to Foster Students' Religious Moderation Character: A Case Study at SDN 01 Lebakharjo
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53515/alqodiri.v24i2.210Keywords:
Character Education, Islamic Religious Education, Qualitative Case Study, Religious Moderation, School CultureAbstract
Religious moderation has become an essential objective of character education in multicultural societies, requiring educational approaches that integrate religious understanding with inclusive values and everyday practice. This study explores how an Islamic Religious Education (IRE) model is implemented to foster students' religious moderation character at SDN 01 Lebakharjo, Indonesia. A qualitative descriptive case study was employed, involving school principals, Islamic Religious Education teachers, classroom teachers, and students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, and were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings reveal that religious moderation is cultivated through an interconnected educational process combining classroom instruction, religious habituation, teacher role modelling, extracurricular activities, and a supportive school culture. These practices encourage students to develop tolerance, mutual respect, responsibility, cooperation, and social awareness as integral aspects of their daily behaviour. The implementation is strengthened by collaborative leadership, teacher commitment, and parental involvement, although challenges remain due to digital media influence, family background differences, and diverse student characteristics. This study contributes to the literature by presenting religious moderation as the outcome of a holistic educational ecosystem rather than isolated instructional activities. The findings also provide practical insights for educators and policymakers seeking to strengthen character education through contextually grounded Islamic Religious Education practices
References
Aderibigbe, S. A., Idriz, M., Alzouebi, K., AlOthman, H., Hamdi, W. B., & Companioni, A. A. (2023). Fostering tolerance and respect for diversity through the fundamentals of Islamic education. Religions, 14(2), 212. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020212
Ahmad, H. (2023). Mapping neo-modern and postmodern Qur’ānic reformist discourse in the intellectual legacy of Fazlur Rahman and Mohammed Arkoun. Religions, 14(5), 595. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14050595
Akova, S., & Kantar, G. (2021). Globalization in the context of multiculturalism and ethnicity in the Western Balkans and intercultural communication. Journal of Public Affairs, 21(2), e2185. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2185
Alsaleh, A. (2024). The impact of technological advancement on culture and society. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 32140. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83995-z
Azizah, L., Amien, S., & Nurhakim, M. (2025). Developing religious school culture: Strategies and impacts on Islamic religious education outcomes. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(4), 7324–7337. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i4.7836
Azmira, T. (2026). Multicultural Islamic education curriculum and social cohesion: Negotiating religious identity in diverse communities. Multicultural Islamic Education Review, 4(1), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.23917/mier.v4i1.16875
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall.
Bolaños, F., Salatino, A., Osborne, F., & Motta, E. (2024). Artificial intelligence for literature reviews: Opportunities and challenges. Artificial Intelligence Review, 57(10), 259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-024-10902-3
Chotimah, C., Qudsy, S. Z., & Yusuf, M. (2024). Superficial implementation of religious moderation in Islamic educational management. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2442235. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2442235
DeCuir, A. (2025). A critical decolonial discourse analysis of secular education leadership practices impacting a local Muslim community. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 57(4), 459–481. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2025.2502163
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2023). Expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory: Reflections on the legacy of 40+ years of working together. Motivation Science, 9(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000275
El Zaatari, W., & Maalouf, I. (2022). How the Bronfenbrenner bioecological systems theory explains the development of students’ sense of belonging to school. SAGE Open, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221134089
Gomez, E. C. (2024). Impact of values education in daily lives of students: A qualitative study. Southeast Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 4(1). https://research.cmc.edu.ph/index.php/journals/article/view/161
Gómez-Hurtado, I., Valdés, R., González-Falcón, I., & Vargas, F. J. (2021). Inclusive leadership: Good managerial practices to address cultural diversity in schools. Social Inclusion, 9(3), 75–84.
Gule, Y., & Keliat, J. (2025). The role of religious moderation in enhancing social harmony and interfaith tolerance among university students. QALAMUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, Dan Agama, 17(1), 611–622. https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v17i1.7101
Hanif, A., Syarifudin, E., & Muhtarom, A. (2025). Integration of religious moderation in Islamic education: Challenges and opportunities in the digital era. Edukasi Islami: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 14(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.30868/ei.v14i01.7767
Harahap, M. A., Lubis, L., & Arsyad, J. (2026). Pedagogies of pluralism: Teacher agency in fostering religious moderation among multifaith students. Tafkir: Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Education, 7(3), 868–882. https://doi.org/10.31538/tijie.v7i3.3012
Hasan, K., & Juhannis, H. (2024). Religious education and moderation: A bibliometric analysis. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2292885. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2292885
Hidayati, E., Achadi, W., & Musallamah, Q. (2025). Analysis of the implementation of character education and/or religious moderation at Muhammadiyah Pleret Middle School. Algebra: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial Dan Sains, 5(4), 990–998. https://doi.org/10.58432/e186b702
Hilal, Y. Y., Hammad, W., & Gümüş, S. (2025). Exploring distributed leadership in the Muslim world: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2025.2521612
Huda, M. (2023). Between accessibility and adaptability of digital platform: Investigating learners’ perspectives on digital learning infrastructure. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 14(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-03-2022-0069
Huda, M. (2024). Strengthening religious moderation through the core values of Islamic boarding school education. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(1), 59–71. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i1.458
Jia, K., Kang, R., Wang, Y., Ma, L., & Liu, X. (2026). Constructing an empathy education system: Values, principles, and approaches. Journal of Moral Education, 55(2), 457–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2024.2416686
Komariah, N., & Nihayah, I. (2023). Improving the personality character of students through learning Islamic religious education. At-Tadzkir: Islamic Education Journal, 2(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.59373/attadzkir.v2i1.15
Leithwood, K. (2021). A review of evidence about equitable school leadership. Education Sciences, 11(8), Article 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080377
Mincu, M. (2022). Why is school leadership key to transforming education? Structural and cultural assumptions for quality education in diverse contexts. Prospects, 52(3), 231–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-022-09625-6
Muis, A. (2026). Incorporating religious moderation values into the Islamic religious education curriculum in secondary education: A systematic review of goals, experiences, methods, and evaluation. British Journal of Religious Education, 48(2), 248–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2598619
Mukhibat, M., Effendi, M., Setyawan, W. H., & Sutoyo, M. (2024). Development and evaluation of religious moderation education curriculum at higher education in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2302308. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2302308
Musyahid, M., & Kolis, N. (2023). Religious moderation implementation in Islamic education: A systematic review. FITRAH: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman, 9(2), 265–284. https://doi.org/10.24952/fitrah.v9i2.9547
Noe, W., Abdullah, O. M., Tanshzil, S. W., Pangalila, T., Bunta, A. F., & Sarina. (2026). Integrated multicultural-inclusive-peace-Islamic pedagogy: An empirical model of value internalization in an Indonesian Islamic school. Frontiers in Education, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1760579
Nurasiah, I., Sumantri, M. S., Nurhasanah, N., & Casmana, A. R. (2022). Cultural values’ integration in character development in elementary schools: The Sukuraga as learning media. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.849218
Nurbayani, N., & Amiruddin, A. (2024). Teacher strategies in implementing religious moderation values in Islamic educational institutions. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(2), 778–787.
Okada, A., Sherborne, T., Panselinas, G., & Kolionis, G. (2025). Fostering transversal skills through open schooling supported by the CARE-KNOW-DO pedagogical model and the UNESCO AI competencies framework. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 35(4), 1953–1998. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-025-00458-w
Sadri, N. W., & Temaja, I. G. B. W. B. (2025). Local wisdom-based education in Indonesian schools. The Eastasouth Journal of Learning and Educations, 3(3), 226–236. https://doi.org/10.58812/esle.v3i03.762
Setiadi, F. M., Khairunnisa, K., & Muhammad, A. A. (2025). Coexisting in faith: The role of local traditions in Muslim-Christian relations in South Tapanuli. Dialog, 48(2), 262–279. https://doi.org/10.47655/dialog.v48i2.1223
Soleh, M. I. (2026). Integration of Islamic religious education and social intelligence in building students’ religious character in the modern era. International Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture, 1(1), 30–43.
Sufiani, S., & Sumardona, S. (2026). Religious moderation as lived pedagogy: An interpretive case study in Indonesian secondary schools. Ta’dib, 29(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.31958/jt.v29i1.16656
Szeto, E. (2021). How do principals’ practices reflect democratic leadership for inclusion in diverse school settings? A Hong Kong case study. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(3), 471–492. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220915922
Takunas, R., Mashuri, S., Basire, J. H. T., Dulumina, G. B., Syahril, S., & Mohi, S. M. (2024). Multicultural Islamic religious education learning to build religious harmony. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(3), 590–607. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v7i3.5305
Tran, T. (2026). Co-creation for sustainable tourism: A conceptual framework and pathways to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Development, 34(3), 3845–3864. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70565
Vincent, C. (2022). The illiberalism of liberalism: Schools and fundamental controversial values. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 48(9), 2073–2090. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2020.1844002
Wardi, U., Yaswirman, Y., Ismail, I., & Gafnel, G. (2024). Comparative analysis of Islamic family law and customary law in the settlement of inheritance disputes in Indonesia. Hakamain: Journal of Sharia and Law Studies, 3(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.57255/hakamain.v3i1.330
Yasmiati, N. L. W., Lasmawan, I. W., Arnyana, I. B. P., Kertih, I. W., & Gading, I. K. (2026). Integrating educational psychology and anti-corruption education through local wisdom: A character-building model in Indonesian madrasahs. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(2), 421–444. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v9i2.435
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Aisyah Nindi Antika, Muhammad Husni (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.