Quality Improvement in Islamic Religious Education through Active Learning
Keywords:
Active Learning, Islamic Religious Education , Learning Quality, Contextual Teaching, Student Engagement, Experiential LearningAbstract
This study examines quality improvement in Islamic Religious Education (IRE) through active learning. The study is grounded in the concern that IRE learning is often still dominated by teacher-centered instruction, resulting in limited student participation, superficial understanding of Islamic values, and weak connection between religious knowledge and everyday moral practice. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, this research analyzes how active learning strategies are planned, implemented, reflected upon, and evaluated in the IRE classroom. Data were collected through classroom observation, in-depth interviews with IRE teachers, and document review of lesson plans, teaching materials, and assessment instruments. The findings indicate that active learning improves the quality of IRE through several interrelated strategies: learning by doing, contextual teaching and learning, higher-order thinking skills activities, experiential learning, digital game-based learning, peer teaching, card sorting, team quizzes, and collaborative reflection. These strategies make IRE more participatory, meaningful, and value-oriented. Students become more engaged in learning, more willing to ask questions, more confident in expressing opinions, and better able to connect Islamic teachings with real-life situations. However, the effectiveness of active learning depends on teacher readiness, institutional support, time management, learning media, and students’ prior learning habits. This study concludes that active learning is not merely a methodological variation but a strategic pathway for improving the quality of IRE by strengthening cognitive understanding, affective awareness, social collaboration, and spiritual internalization.
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