Integrating Moderate Religious Values into School Curricula and Management Through an Ethnographic Approach

Zainal Abidin; Ahmad Qusairi; Muhamad Maulana

doi:10.15548/jt.v33i2.1147

Integrating Moderate Religious Values into School Curricula and Management Through an Ethnographic Approach

Zainal Abidin, Ahmad Qusairi, Muhamad Maulana

Abstract

Religious polarization in Indonesia demands that educational institutions play a strategic role in instilling religious moderation, yet many schools face challenges in effectively integrating these values in a heterogeneous environment. This study aims to analyze the mechanisms of integration of religious moderation values into the curriculum and management at SMK Negeri Sukapura, a public school that has successfully fostered harmony between Muslim and Hindu students. Using a qualitative ethnographic approach through participant observation, in-depth interviews with the principal, teachers, and students, and analysis of curriculum documents and school policies, this study explores the concrete practices and hidden curriculum that shape a culture of tolerance. The results identify three key mechanisms: (1) transformational leadership that shapes social norms through role models and participatory policies, (2) integration of moderation values across subjects through a dialogic and reflective approach, and (3) a hidden curriculum that changes attitudes through spontaneous interactions, inclusive extracurricular activities, and symbolic justice in worship facilities. The school's success lies in the systemic synergy between leadership, managerial policies, formal curriculum, and mutually reinforcing school culture. This study provides a theoretical contribution by conceptualizing moderation as an ecological system, not an isolated intervention, and offers an applicable empirical model for heterogeneous public schools in implementing religious moderation-based character education in Indonesia.

Keywords

Religious Moderation; Transformational Leadership; Hidden Curriculum.

10.15548/jt.v33i2.1147

Abstract view : 316 times

PDF : 101 times

Full Text:

PDF

References

Abidin, Z., Ramdhani, D., & Qusairi, A. (2025). Manajemen kurikulum berbasis pendidikan holistik di sekolah Islam terpadu: Sebuah studi etnografi. Jurnal Madinasika Manajemen Pendidikan Dan Keguruan, 7(1), 218–225.

Ahmad, M., & Wilkins, S. (2025). Purposive sampling in qualitative research: A framework for the entire journey. Quality & Quantity, 59(2), 1461–1479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-024-02022-5

Akers, R. L., & Jennings, W. G. (2015). Social Learning Theory. In A. R. Piquero (Ed.), The Handbook of Criminological Theory (1st ed., pp. 230–240). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118512449.ch12

Aktaş, H. H., & Engin, C. (2024). The Influence of Cultural Capital on Students’ Perceptions and Experiences of Hidden Curriculum. Erzincan Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 26(3), 352–367. https://doi.org/10.17556/erziefd.1488249

Alfian, M., Herningrum, I., & Putra, P. H. (2025a). Perspective of Islamic Religious Education Study Program Students on the Islamic Education Curriculum in Indonesia. Scaffolding: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Dan Multikulturalisme, 7(1), 578–594.

https://doi.org/10.37680/scaffolding.v7i1.7146

Alfian, M., Herningrum, I., & Putra, P. H. (2025b). Perspective of Islamic Religious Education Study Program Students on the Islamic Education Curriculum in Indonesia. Scaffolding: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Dan Multikulturalisme, 7(1), 578–594.

https://doi.org/10.37680/scaffolding.v7i1.7146

Amzalag, M., & Gross, Z. (2025). Ultra-Orthodox parents’ perspectives on applying learning technologies in elementary schools. British Journal of Religious Education, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2471105

Anwar, K. (2021). Pancasila Village, Multicultural Education and Moderation of Diversity in Indonesia. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 4(2), 221–234. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v4i2.1238

Banks, J. A. (2015a). The Dimensions of Multicultural Education. In Cultural Diversity and Education (6th ed.). Routledge.

Banks, J. A. (2015b). The Dimensions of Multicultural Education. In Cultural Diversity and Education (6th ed.). Routledge.

Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational Leadership (2nd ed.). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410617095

Baykut, S., Erbil, C., Ozbilgin, M., Kamasak, R., & Bağlama, S. H. (2022). The impact of the hidden curriculum on international students in the context of a country with a toxic triangle of diversity. The Curriculum Journal, 33(2), 156–177. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.135

Becvar, R. J., Becvar, D. S., & Reif, L. V. (2023). Systems Theory and Family Therapy: A Primer. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press.

Carney, S. (2022). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education: By UNESCO, Paris, UNESCO, 2021, 186 pages, ISBN 978-92-3-100478-0 (Vol. 58, Issue 4). Taylor & Francis.

Castle, J. J., & Stepp, K. K. (2021). Partisanship, Religion, and Issue Polarization in the United States: A Reassessment. Political Behavior, 43(3), 1311–1335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-020-09668-5

Deterding, N. M., & Waters, M. C. (2021). Flexible Coding of In-depth Interviews: A Twenty-first-century Approach. Sociological Methods & Research, 50(2), 708–739.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124118799377

Ebabuye, T., & Asgedom, A. (2023). A phenomenological study of the lived experience of minority students: The paradox of equitable education and school practices. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100673

Hadiyanto, A., Putri, K. Y. S., & Fazli, L. (2025). Religious moderation in Instagram: An Islamic interpretation perspective. Heliyon, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42816

Honneth, A. (2014). The I in We: Studies in the Theory of Recognition. John Wiley & Sons.

Huang, W.-H., & Chen, H.-L. (2026). Developing a Disaster Literacy Curriculum for Young Children: Integrating Social Learning Theory and the Zone of Proximal Development. Early Childhood Education Journal, 54(4), 3201–3225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-02049-9

Jailani, M., Dewantara, J. A., & Rahmani, E. F. (2023). The awareness of mutual respect post-conflicts: Ethnic chinese strategy through social interaction and engagement in West Kalimantan. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 33(1), 17–34.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2021.1990170

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. SAGE.

Maisaroh, I., Stiawati, T., & Mahpudin, M. (2025). State Intervention in Religious Moderation through the “Kampung Moderasi Beragama” Policy: Evidence from Serang City. Society, 13(3), 1099–1117. https://doi.org/10.33019/society.v13i3.930

Mancini, T., & Imperato, C. (2026). Ethnic-Racial Identity, Interethnic Contact, and Reddit Community Identification Relate to Monoculturals’ Intercultural Sensitivity. Identity, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2026.2662563

Midgley, G., & Rajagopalan, R. (2021). Critical Systems Thinking, Systemic Intervention, and Beyond. In G. S. Metcalf, K. Kijima, & H. Deguchi (Eds.), Handbook of Systems Sciences (pp. 1–51). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0370-8_7-1

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis. SAGE.

Mulyana, R. (2023). Religious moderation in Islamic religious educatiotextbook and implementation in Indonesia. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 79(1).

https://doi.org/10.4102/HTS.V79I1.8592

Mzulwini, S., Kgoetiane, C. H., Zantsi, S., & Manasoe, B. (2026). A predictive analytics framework for South Africa’s land redistribution: Assessing systematic predictive factors of agricultural productivity and equity. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1801008

Nelson, J., Meyer, K., & Orchard, J. (2025). The Case for Shared Religious Education. Religions, 16(3), 335. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030335

Pentón Herrera, L. J., & Becker, A. (2026). The Hidden Curriculum of Gender Identity in L2 Classrooms: Considerations for Teachers and Textbooks. TESOL Quarterly, 60(1), 446–462. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.70039

Pettigrew, T. F. (2021). Advancing intergroup contact theory: Comments on the issue’s articles. Journal of Social Issues, 77(1), 258–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12423

Qusairi, A., Fikri, H., & Akbar, M. (2025). Integrating Tradition and Modernity: Educational Management Strategies. Nidhomiyyah: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 6(1), Article 1.

https://doi.org/10.38073/nidhomiyyah.v6i1.1946

Rahman, Y., Walid, K. A., & Humaidi, H. (2022). Critical thinking and religious moderation: Instilling religiously moderate values through the teaching of Islamic philosophy in Indonesia. Journal Of Indonesian Islam, 16(1), 49–74. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2022.16.1.49-74

Rannikmäe, M., Holbrook, J., & Soobard, R. (2020). Social Constructivism—Jerome Bruner. In B. Akpan & T. J. Kennedy (Eds.), Science Education in Theory and Practice (pp. 259–275). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43620-

_18

Rapp, A. C., & Corral-Granados, A. (2024). Understanding inclusive education – a theoretical contribution from system theory and the constructionist perspective. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28(4), 423–439.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1946725

Rossouw, N., & Frick, L. (2023). A conceptual framework for uncovering the hidden curriculum in private higher education. Cogent Education, 10(1), 2191409.

https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2191409

Scarpa, M. P., & Trickett, E. J. (2022). Translating ecology: Similarities and differences in the ecological images of Bronfenbrenner and Kelly. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 8(2), 185–196. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000315

Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

Sealy, T., Ibrahim, Z., Zulian, P. B., & Rasid, I. M. (2022). South and Southeast Asia: Deep diversity under strain. Religion, State and Society, 50(4), 452–468.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2022.2126258

Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22(2), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2004-22201

Siddik, M. F., Qorib, M., & Lubis, R. R. (2025). Integration of Multicultural Values in Islamic Education Learning at Schools. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 15(1), 89–105.

https://doi.org/10.38073/jpi.v15i1.2646

Solahudin, D., Komala, E., Ruswandi, U., & Arifin, B. S. (2023). Implementation of Religious Moderation Values in the Learning of Islamic Education. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 7(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v7i1.331

Tajik, O., Golzar, J., & Noor, S. (2025). Purposive Sampling. International Journal of Education & Language Studies, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijels.2025.490681.1029

Wieland, A., Stevenson, M., Melnyk, S. A., Davoudi, S., & Schultz, L. (2023). Thinking differently about supply chain resilience: What we can learn from social-ecological systems thinking. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 43(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-10-2022-0645

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15548/jt.v33i2.1147