Muslim Education Review

Preface

Nina Nurmila — 2023-12-29

Born or Made: Weighing Up Nature vs Nurture Complexities in Choosing Islamic Boarding School Leaders

Supriyono Supriyono — 2023-12-29

One fundamentally plagued debate on leadership is whether leaders are born or made: nature vs nurture. Existing studies have either supported or opposed each of the arguments. Yet the literature that discusses this topic in the educational context is still limited. Despite the condition, an interesting tradition has been practiced within Indonesia’s Islamic boarding schools—colloquially known as pesantren—where in appointing its leaders, most of them depend on heredity. This study aims to garner the responses of pesantren future leaders about the hereditary leadership system in pesantren, focusing on perception, reflection and projection inquiries. This phenomenological study relies on in-depth interviews to collect the data, whilst employing triangulation of the data sources with three pesantren future leaders in East and Central Java. The findings show that by weighing up the positive and negative implications of the pesantren’s hereditary leadership, converging it with the meritocratic system appears to be salutary, given it ticks all the boxes of three human developmental facets: physical (leadership gen), cognitive (intellectual ability) and socio-emotional (moral integrity). In this regard, the hereditary-meritocratic convergence system could help pesantren run its leadership selection with both nature (intrinsic) and nurture (extrinsic) deliberations, as supported by the Western-secular and Islamic scientific discourses. Yet, despite the positive outcome, it also leaves a critical question on the side of the meritocratic system on why meritocracy dismisses genetic considerations given studies have proved that leadership is indeed influenced by both genetics and environment. The findings call for further investigation on the hereditary-meritocratic convergence system in choosing school leaders—especially in the pesantren context—that despite the meritocracy, heredity, too, could be a pivotal cogitation.

Gen Y Perspectives: Investigating Parents in Choosing School Culture

Catur Niasari — 2023-12-29

Differences in generations X, Y, Z and Alpha affect thinking patterns and decision-making processes, including in the selection of educational institutions with a good school culture. This qualitative research explores the preferences of five parents from Generation Y (Gen Y) in considering the appropriate school for their children at the primary level in Tangerang, Banten. This study aims to determine the needs of Generation Y parents regarding school culture. Even though the number of study participants is limited, this study did triangulation of data by investigating the school’s management, teachers and students. The findings of this study conclude that parents of primary school children are concerned with three aspects of school culture; Islamic values, leadership characteristics and English language. In general, parents believe that the school they had chosen for their children has exceeded their expectations for a positive school culture; yet, some of them regret certain aspects that schools must evaluate to achieve an optimal school culture.

The Islamic Religious Education Curriculum Towards Globalization of Education: A Study on the Dynamics and Implications of Curriculum Changes

Luqyana Azmiya Putri — 2023-12-29

The quality of education is closely related to the curriculum that is implemented. Due to the consequences of changes in political, social, cultural, economic and technological systems, the curriculum also undergoes changes. Since Indonesia’s independence in 1945, the country has developed and been implementing its own school curriculum starting in 1947, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1975, 1984, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2006, and 2013. This study aims to analyze the dynamics and implications of curriculum changes in Islamic education and to examine its existence in the globalization of education. The research method used a library research approach with data analysis techniques including data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results show that Islamic education has been implemented since the independence era, albeit influenced by the Dutch at that time. After the era of independence and reformation, the changes in curriculum resulted in the government giving special attention to Islamic Religious Education (called as PAI), which was demonstrated by the establishment of Islamic institutions called “madrasa” and Islamic universities. Indonesia’s experience in various curriculum models is a strength in exploring the potential of Islamic education to adapt to the discourse of global education. Moreover, Islamic education in Indonesia has the opportunity to become a world leader. To achieve this, efforts are needed to strengthen the Islamic education system and its curriculum, expand access to information and communication technology, improve the quality of teachers and researchers through increasing academic qualifications, and build international cooperation with other countries in the form of curriculum development and scholarships for foreign students who want to study PAI.

Double Degree Transnational Curriculum: University Internationalization Efforts in Malaysia with British Universities

Moch. Khafidz Fuad Raya — 2023-12-29

Higher Education (HE) is central to advancing a nation's civilisation. In the modern context, HE has been polarised into a different practice discourse. This is the effect of globalisation which orients the neoliberal economic paradigm. This current resulted in a massive change in orientation (reform) of HE in Malaysia, which forced policymakers to internationalise HE. One of them is the transnational double degree program. British universities are considered the most suitable partners for this program due to several factors, such as the historical trajectory of British colonialism and imperialism towards Malaysia. This study uses a qualitative approach with ethnographic and documentary methods. Using the theory of "postcolonial and education" as an analysis of the findings has shown how the spectrum of colonial influence was on the education of the former colonies. Education is considered a strategy for seeding international educational networks, as in other regions. Another finding is that the originators or writers of this curriculum face a series of latent problems, such as differences in the academic and cultural climate between the two countries, different regulatory rules, and a shared credit system that still needs to be fully synchronised. This article creates a new finding that the internationalisation of HE through creating a transnational double degree curriculum is maximising HE marketing efforts amidst the current wave of globalisation competition.

The Nature and Process of Meaning-Making in Text-Based Classroom Discussion of an American Islamic School

Firman Parlindungan — 2023-12-29

This study aimed to uncover how elementary school students and their teacher make meaning as they participate in text-based classroom discussion at an American Islamic school. One English language art teacher and 20sixth grade students participated in this study. We employed a case study design with classroom observation, field notes and documentation as tools for data collection. The gathered data were analyzed qualitatively. We found that the classroom talks in discussing textual information followed the traditional I-R-E (Initiate-Respond-Evaluate) pattern in which the teacher held control over turn-taking opportunities and interpretive authority. The students’ participations in this discourse were restricted to remembering facts, rules and procedures found in the text in which their responses were limited and brief. In contrast, the classroom talks about extratextual information as well as about Islamic knowledge and values were more dialogic in which the conversational flow was not directed by the teacher. The students’ responses were longer with elaborated explanation or reasoning to support their position. Their Islamic cultural backgrounds and practices also enabled them to extend the discussion and make better sense of the text. These findings indicate that teachers’ didactic strategy in conducting text-based classroom discussion shapes whether students would have meaningful interaction or not. We subscribe to the view that meaning of text and knowledge construction are not solely derived from the text or defined by one person. Instead, they can be co-constructed in dialogic discussion that challenges various voices, tensions and conflicts between members of the class.

“Fatherman” On the Move: Social Transformation Strategy in Indonesian Family Education

Lenni Lestari — 2023-12-30

“Fatherlessness” has long been a worldwide issue and social trend of our time. Research suggests that high-risk children in single-parent homes have nearly five times greater chance of developing mood disorders than those in co-parenting households. This article discusses “Fatherman”, an agency that voices the vital role of fathers in becoming psychological heroes for their children. The study aims to explore the strategy of the “Fatherman” agency in educating parents in Indonesia and to understand how “Fatherman”’s initiatives relate to gender roles and their broader impact on Indonesian society. This study employed a qualitative research approach by utilizing the content analysis method on several “Fatherman” social media accounts and books. The findings of this study revealed that the strategy adopted by the founders of the “Fatherman” account, namely Ustadz Bendri Jaisyurrahman and Ayah Irwan Rinaldi, makes fathers aware of their important role in the domestic sphere. This can be seen from the testimonials of online course participants, followers of the “Fatherman” account, and readers of the “Fatherman” books. Furthermore, the understanding of fatherhood has changed over time. Fatherhood has always been a multifaceted concept, from just being a provider (nafaqah) to becoming a role model for children, giving marital support, and nurturing. Based on a gender perspective, “Fatherman” still seems ambiguous and semi-patriarchal. The fundamental barrier is that masculinity, as currently constructed, becomes a tension for men to be fully involved in nurturing and household work. While “Fatherman” aims to encourage fathers to actively engage in parenting, they advertently reinforce gender superiority or perpetuate traditional gender roles. The social transformation that “Fatherman” offers is a changing perception of a father’s role in nurturing. Certainly, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to the fatherlessness crisis in Indonesia today. However, “Fatherman” agency will be one of the leading voices in providing an understanding of the father’s role.

The Needs of English for Islamic Studies (EIS) in Traditional and Modern Pesantren

Rio Alfinda — 2023-12-30

This research aims to analyze the needs, English skill levels, and necessities of students in English language learning when undertaking Islamic studies. Designed as quantitative-descriptive, the researchers use survey methodology by distributing questionnaires to students. The results regarding English fluency show that their English competence needs improvement. Their ability needs to be improved in four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing). In the context of items necessary for English for Islamic Studies (EIS) courses, the results indicate that the students highlight two skills that they see as needed in EIS: speaking and reading.

Exploring the Concept of Menyama Braya: The Cultural Heritage of Hindu and Islamic Communities in Pegayaman Village as a Multicultural Learning Medium

Kadek Nova Suadnyana — 2023-12-30

The process of Islamic and Hindu acculturation and harmonious cultural lending in Pegayaman village interested the researchers in conducting this study. The concept of kinship or menyama braya is a concept that unites all differences in Pegayaman village. This study aims to determine (1) the existence of menyama braya in Pegayaman village; (2) the influence of menyama braya culture; (3) the process of internalizing the concept of menyama braya; and (4) the strategy of planting the concept of menyama braya. This study is prepared with qualitative research methods with three approaches, including geographical, socio-historical and cultural approaches used case study design. The results of this study show that the concept of menyama braya is very relevant to the current condition of society because this concept teaches people to remain respectful and have high tolerance even though they have different backgrounds, especially religious.