Religious values as foundations of education: Insights from teachers’ perspectives
Main Article Content
Abstract
The integration of religious values into primary education plays a crucial role in shaping children’s character and morality from an early age. As the forefront of the educational process, teachers hold a strategic role in instilling and exemplifying these values within the school environment. This study aimed to explore primary school teachers’ perspectives on the urgency of embedding religious values in formal education, identify which values are essential to introduce early, and examine the reflective role of teachers as role models and agents of character formation in schools. Adopting a narrative inquiry approach, data were collected through observations, interviews, and documentation. The participants consisted of six primary school teachers with in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of children in their respective teaching contexts. The findings revealed that: (1) religious values should be instilled from an early age as they are fundamental to character building; (2) the values deemed most essential included morality, faith and monotheism, discipline, honesty and justice, politeness and social etiquette, care and responsibility, compassion and empathy, as well as tolerance and cooperation; and (3) teachers served as role models, facilitators, motivators, and mentors who guided and monitored students’ attitudes and behaviors throughout the school day. The implications of this study indicate that integrating religious values into the learning process requires appropriate pedagogical approaches and sustained institutional support. These findings enrich the discourse on religion-based character education at the primary level and pave the way for developing culturally contextualized value-based learning models. Furthermore, the study provides a foundation for future research on the effectiveness of value education interventions across diverse social and cultural contexts.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms: Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
How to Cite
Share
References
Abdussamad, H. Z., & Sik, M. S. (2021). Metode penelitian kualitatif. CV. Syakir Media Press.
Afifah, S. N. (2024). Integrasi Teori Belajar dan Nilai Islam Dalam Pendidikan Modern: Konvergensi Untuk Pembelajaran Efektif. Epistemic: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 3(2), 242–257. https://doi.org/10.70287/epistemic.v3i2.8
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1991). The concept of education in Islam: A framework for an Islamic philosophy of education. International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization.
Aljaberi, N. M. (2015). Teachers’ perspectives on moral and religious education as a character building in UAE schools. International Education Studies, 8(2), 160–170. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v8n2p160
Anwar. (2023). Internalization of Religious Educational Values in Developing Students’ Interpersonal Intelligence. PPSDP International Journal of Education, 2(2), 35–45.
Arif, M., Chapakiya, S., & Dewi, A. Y. (2024). Character Education in Indonesia Islamic Elementary Schools: A Systematic Literature Review (2014-2024). J-PAI: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.18860/jpai.v11i1.29301
Arslan, S., & Ince, M. (2023). Perspectives of Teachers and Students on Values Education in Secondary School Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge Course. Değerler Eğitimi Dergisi, 21(45), 151–167. https://doi.org/10.34234/ded.1260866
Ashari, R. (2025). Peran Teladan Keluarga Berpendidikan Agama Islam dalam Pembentukan Nilai Keagamaan Pada Anak. Continuous Education: Journal of Science and Research, 6. https://pusdikra-publishing.com/index.php/josr
Astuti, H., & Anwar, S. (2024). The Urgency of Learning the Values of Worship in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. EDUCAN: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN ISLAM. https://doi.org/10.21111/educan.v8i1.10296.
Aziza, N., Ermis Suryana, & Zulhijra. (2025). Islamic Religious Education in the Formation of Moral and Religious Values. Academia Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.21070/acopen.10.2025.11210
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Prentice Hall. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=IXvuAAAAMAAJ
Bruce, A., Beuthin, R., Sheilds, L., Molzahn, A., & Schick-Makaroff, K. (2016). Narrative research evolving: Evolving through narrative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406916659292
Clandinin, D., & Caine, V. (2008). Narrative Inquiry. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods (Lisa M. Given, pp. 542–545). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n275
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative Inquiry: Experience and Story in Qualitative Research. Jossey-Bass.
Clandinin, D. J., Pushor, D., & Orr, A. M. (2007). Navigating sites for narrative inquiry. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487106296218
Cresswell, J. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches.
Dewart, G., Kubota, H., Berendonk, C., Clandinin, J., & Caine, V. (2020). Lugones’s Metaphor of “World Travelling” in Narrative Inquiry. Qualitative Inquiry, 26(3–4), 369–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800419838567
Durkheim, E. (1956). Education and Sociology. Free Press.
Eryandi, E. (2023). Integrasi Nilai-Nilai Keislaman dalam Pendidikan Karakter di Era Digital. Kaipi: Kumpulan Artikel Ilmiah Pendidikan Islam, 1(1), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.62070/kaipi.v1i1.27
Fadilla, D. V., As’ad, M., & Rohmatika, V. R. (2025). Strategi Guru Pendidikan Agama Islam dalam Menanamkan Nilai-Nilai Pendidikan Multikultural. Journal Perspektif, 9(1), 180–192. https://doi.org/10.56436/jer.v1i1.8
Farisia, H., & Mukhlisah. (2020). Nurturing Religious and moral Values at Early Childhood Education. Didakta Religia: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.2991/icei-19.2019.4
Fathurrohman, R., Gafarurrozi, M., Izzah, L., Sukati, S., Akhmadi, M., & Karima, H. (2025). The Urgency of Islamic Religious Education Learning in Building Student Character in the Era of Disruption. Proceedings of the 1st Alma Ata International Conference on Education (AAICE 2023), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-414-3_9
Grümme, Bernhard. (2023) Values Education, Politics and Religion in Values-Politics-Religion: The European Values Study (In-depth Analysis-Interdisciplinary Perspectives-Future Prospects).
Hadi, R., Ziyad, M. T. Bin, Nurhidayati, N., & Sumardi, L. (2025). The Role of Teachers In The Development of Moral Education In Primary Schools. Educompassion: Jurnal Integrasi Pendidikan Islam Dan Global, 2(2), 249–257. https://doi.org/10.63142/educompassion.v2i2.231
Hamid, A. (2016). Metode Internalisasi Nilai-Nilai Akhlak dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam Di SMP Negeri 17 Kota Palu. Al-Hikmah: Jurnal Agama Dan Ilmu Pengetahuan, 14(2), 195–206. https://doi.org/10.25299/al-hikmah:jaip.2016.vol13(2).1517
Hanafiah, M. (2024). Perkembangan Moral Anak dalam Perspektif Pendidikan (Kajian Teori Lawrence Kohlberg). Ameena Journal, 2(1), 75–91.
Hay, D., & Nye, R. (2006). The spirit of the child (Revised ed.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Haydon, G. (2003). Aims in education: A conceptual inquiry. RoutledgeFalmer. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203463437
Hilmi, F., Habibah, E., Suhana, D., Nurlalela, E., Hakim, L., Maryana, I., Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, U., & Aliyah Al-Azhar Tasikmalaya, M. (2024). The Role Of Religious Education In Installing Social Awareness Among Students Peran Pendidikan Agama dalam Menanamkan Kesadaran Sosial Di Kalangan Siswa. In The Journal of Educational Research (Vol. 4, Issue 01).
Ikhwan, A., Biantoro, O. F., & Rohmad, A. (2019). The Role of the Family in Internalizing Islamic Values. Dinamika Ilmu, 323–335. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v19i2.1746
Illahi, N. (2020). Peranan Guru Profesional Dalam Peningkatan Prestasi Siswa Dan Mutu Pendidikan Di Era Milenial. Jurnal Asy-Syukriyyah, 21(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.36769/asy.v21i1.94
Isom, M., Sopandi, E., & Siswanto, A. (2021). Implementation of Religious Education in Character Values in Early Childhood Education Institutions. EDUKASI: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Agama Dan Keagamaan, 19(3). http://jurnaledukasikemenag.org
Jannah, M. (2025). The Role of Islamic Religious Education Teachers in Instilling Religious Tolerance Values in Schools. Indonesian Journal for Islamic Studies, 3(1), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.58723/ijfis.v3i1.257
Jarvis, J. (2019). Reflections of a Teacher Educator of Religion Education: Informing and Transforming Practice. Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa, Sp24. https://doi.org/10.29086/2519-5476/2019/sp24.2a12
Junaidi, F., Rahmanto, A. A., Fitriana, E., Ni’matussyahara, D., Damayanti, A., & Riyanti, R. D. (2024). Investigating the influence of Beteri’s social intelligence in ‘Andai-andai’folktales on societal perspectives. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities. https://doi. org/10.58256/cgz85c35.
Junaidi, F., Permatasari, S. D., Silviana, Z. J., Metboki, M. Y., Hidayat, A. N., Dompeipen, A. C., & Rumohoira, D. R. (2024). Andai-Andai Folk Tale: A Tool to Promote Eco-Social Values among Children in Kedurang Community. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(3), 461-472.
Junaidi, F., Suwandi, S., Saddhono, K., & Wardani, N. E. (2022). improving students’ social intelligence using folktales during the Covid19 pandemic. International Journal of Instruction, 15(3), 209-228.
Karmawan., & Lestari, P. Dwi. (2021). Program Pembelajaran Guru Dalam Menanamkan Nilai-Nilai Kejujuran Teacher Learning Program in Instilling Honesty Values at PAUD. 4(2), 250–262.
Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on moral development. In Vol. I: The philosophy of moral development. Harper & Row.
Krivokapic, M. (2018). Imitative learning: The teacher as a role model. Education and Self Development, 13(4), 11–19. https://doi.org/10.26907/esd13.4.02
Kulsum, U., & Apriyani, N. (2025). Empowering Students Through Religious Values: Enhancing Life Skills and Leadership in Educational Management. Al-Tanzim: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 167–182. https://doi.org/10.33650/al-tanzim.v9i1.10557
Kusumastuti, A., & Khoiron, A. M. (2019). Metode penelitian kualitatif. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lembaga Pendidikan Sukarno Pressindo (LPSP.
Li, X. (2025). The curriculum planning and implementation for mindfulness education and diversified humanism based on big data. Scientific Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95491-z
Liang, M., Chen, Q., & Zhou, Y. (2022). The Influence of Various Role Models on Children’s Pro-environmental Behaviours. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873078
Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility. Bantam Books.
Listiawati, N. P. (2021). Partnership Strategy and Collaborative Power: Internalization of Religious Moderation in Senior High School West Nusa Tenggara Indonesia. Jayapangus Press Jurnal Penelitian Agama Hindu Terakreditasi Peringkat, 2. http://jayapanguspress.penerbit.org/index.php/JPAH
Mąkosa, P. (2016). Challenges for teachers of religious education in Catholic and state schools in Poland: a comparative study. International Studies in Catholic Education, 8(2), 168–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2016.1206399
Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and Personality (2nd ed.). Harper & Row.
Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress.The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome Way.
Miftahurrohmah, L., Sya’dullah, A., & Yani, M. T. (2024). Instilling Religious Values in Children Through the Role of Parents and Habituation at School. Journal of Islamic Education Students (JIES), 4(2), 251–262.
Mogra, I. (2017). Strengthening Ethics: A Faith Perspective on Educational Research. Journal of Academic Ethics, 15(4), 365–376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-017-9292-z
Mohamed, M., Rashid, R. A., & Alqaryouti, M. H. (2022). Conceptualizing the complexity of reflective practice in education. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1008234
Mohamed, S. (2017). Amalan Bersedekah Dalam Kalangan Guru Pendidikan Islam Prasekolah (the Practice of Act of Giving Among the Preschool Islamic Education Teachers). UMRAN - International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies, 4(3–1). https://doi.org/10.11113/umran2017.4n3-1.249
Mulyasari, W. (2025). Internalization of human values in islamic religious education at the elementary school level. Annual International Conference on Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies. https://doi.org/10.32698/aicoiis24618
Nainggolan, M. M., & Naibaho, L. (2022). A new decade for social changes The Integration of Kohlberg Moral Development Theory with Education Character. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 31, 203–212. www.techniumscience.com
Nelson, J., & Yang, Y. (2023). The role of teachers’ religious beliefs in their classroom practice–a personal or public concern? Journal of Beliefs and Values, 44(3), 316–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2022.2125672
Nafisendy, V. T., Junaidi, F., Kusnadi, A., Bahri, S., Fikri, D., Siregar, A., & Junarif, Z. (2025). The representation of Islamic values within Sang Piatu folktale in Kedurang society. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities.
Noddings, N. (2013). Caring: A relational approach to ethics and moral education (2nd ed.). University of California Press.
Novrizal, N., Rahman, I. K., & Andriana, N. (2023). Teori Belajar: Humanistik dan Konstruktivistik dalam Perspektif Psikologi Barat dan Islam. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.47134/pjpi.v1i1.11
Nucci, L., & Narvaez, D. (2014). Handbook of Moral and Character Education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203114896
Nuha, F. K. (2025). The Role of Teachers in Shaping Islamic Education Values in Elementary Schools Theory: Social Construction Peter L Berger. International Journal of Basic Educational Research, 2(1), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.14421/ijber.v2i1.8157
Nursalim, E., Zurqoni, Z., & Khojir, K. (2024). Model of Internalization Religious Character Values to Strengthen Moral Student. TARBIYA: Journal of Education in Muslim Society, 10(2), 163–182. https://doi.org/10.15408/tjems.v10i2.37575
Oktaviani, A., & Mabrur, M. (2024). THE URGENCY OF IMPLEMENTING FAITH EDUCATION IN CHILDREN. Wasilatuna: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Penyiaran Islam. https://doi.org/10.38073/wasilatuna.v7i01.1128.
Omeri, N. (2015). PENTINGNYA PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER DALAM DUNIA PENDIDIKAN. Manajer Pendidikan, 9, 464–468.
Pawlak, M., Payne, D., Corey, C., & Zingoni, M. (2021). Nexus of Religion, Economic Model and Culture: Impacts on Moral Development. J. of Business and Management, 27(2), 69–108. https://doi.org/10.1504/jbm.2021.141291
Primandini, K., & Sunarso, A. (2025). An Analysis of Teachers Educational Role in Developing Religious Character Among Lower Grade Students. 27(1), 224–235. https://doi.org/10.21009/JTP2001.6
Purwanti, D. (2017). Pendidikan Karakter Peduli Lingkungan Dan Implementasinya. Jurnal Riset Pedagogik, 2, 14–20.
Purwanto, Y., Saepudin, A., & Sofaussamawati. (2023). TheDevelopment of Reflective Practices for Islamic Religious Education Teachers. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 107–122. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v0i0.24155
Raths, L. E., Harmin, M., & Simon, S. B. (1978). Values and teaching (2nd ed.). Charles E. Merrill.
Rahayu, S., Nurjanah, S., Indriani, W., Sunan, U., & Yogyakarta, K. (2021). Application of Albert Bandura Social Learning Theory in PAI Learning at Al-Wafa Ciwidey SMP Bandung. ALSYS : Jurnal Keislaman Dan Ilmu Pendidikan, 1(1), 83–96. https://ejournal.yasin-alsys.org/index.php/alsys
Rishan, M., Batubara, J., & Deliani, N. (2024). Integrasi Teori Belajar Sosial dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam di Era Digital. TSAQOFAH, 4(6), 4318–4332. https://doi.org/10.58578/tsaqofah.v4i6.4225
Rofiq, M. A. (2022). Internalizing Islamic Education Values in Raising Environmental Awareness Character: a Case Study at Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri 2 Malang. Journal of Islamic Education Research, 3(01). https://doi.org/10.35719/jier.v3i1.218
Rogers, C. R. (1969). Freedom to Learn: A View of what Education Might Become. C.E. Merrill Publishing Company. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=mHyAAAAAIAAJ
Sauri, S., Sanusi, A., Saleh, N., & Khalid, S. M. (2022). Strengthening Student Character Through Internalization of Religious Values in School. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam |, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.33477/alt.v7i23369
Shafic Bukenya, L., & Peter, S. (2024). Challenges Faced by Islamic Religious Education Teachers in Secondary Schools: A Case Study of Kampala Muslim Schools in Uganda (Vol. 3). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382647254
Silay, Nur. (2019). Values Education and Religion. the Journal of Academic Social Sciences, 7(95), 224-231. 10.16992/ASOS.15125
Sudrajat, A. (2011). MENGAPA PENDIDIKAN KARAKTER? Jurnal Pendidikan Karakter, 1(1), 47–58.
Suparjo, S., & Hidayah, L. N. (2023). Islamic Religious Education in Indonesia: Understanding the Urgency and Paradigm Shift from a Societal Perspective. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 06(06). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v6-i6-08
Susilawati, S., Yasin, A. F., Rahmaniah, A., Chakim, A., & Supriyanto, T. (2022). Strategy to Internalizing Religious Moral Values in the Learning Process in Higher Education. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 14(1), 399–408. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i1.849
Syafeie, A. K. (2020). Internalisasi Nilai-Nilai Iman Dan Taqwa Dalam Pembentukan Kepribadian Melalui Kegiatan Intrakurikuler. Al-Tarbawi Al-Haditsah: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 5(1), 60–75. https://doi.org/10.24235/tarbawi.v5i1.6280
Tohirin, Mustafa, F., Emha, R. M., Jarudin, Afiyah, N., Ulfah, F. N., Solahudin, A., Irma, A., Kirom, T. T. A. ., Mawar, A., Aljihaad, M. M., Sari, R. P., & Junaidi, F. (2025). Instilling religious values in young learners: A narrative exploration of teachers’ roles and realities. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 6(3)
Uyun, M., Fahmi, I., Fitriani, Alimron, & Pratama, I. P. (2024). The role of local wisdom, cultural values, and religious values on cultivating social awareness and enhancing integrity in students. Humanities and Social Sciences Letters, 12(4), 1224–1238. https://doi.org/10.18488/61.v12i4.3906
van Dijk-Groeneboer, M. (2020). Religious education in (Post-)pandemic times; becoming a resilient professional in a teacher academy. Religions, 11(11), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11110610
Wakhudin, Asih Ernawati , S. Anggoro. (2023). Developing the Religious Character of Primary School Students with Habituation. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Social Sciences, ICONESS 2023.
Wati, H. E. (2022). Implementasi Teori Belajar Sosial dalam Pembelajaran PAI pada Masa Pandemi Covid 19. TANJAK : Journal of Education and Teaching, 3(1), 30–38. https://doi.org/10.35961/tanjak.v3i1.420
Wiseza, F. C. (2017). Implementasi Nilai Karakter Jujur Di Sekolah Bunda Paud Kerinci. Nur El-Islam, 4(2), 142–165.
Wulandari, J., & Abdurrasyid, R. A. (2021). Strategies Used by Teachers in Instilling Religious Values in Elementary School Students. Elementary Education Journal, 1(1), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.53088/eej.v1i1.148
Yanti, N., Arono, A., Hiasa, F., Junaidi, F., Noermanzah, N., & Kurniawan, R. (2025). Indonesian Teachers’ Roles in Designing and Utilizing AI-Powered Animated Videos: A Case Study on Classroom Practices and Character Development. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(6).
Zhou, Z. Y., Hu, L. Y., Wang, M. L., & Zhou, L. S. (2023). Narrative Education Combined With Experiential Teaching in the Development of Empathic Competence of Undergraduate Nursing Students: Pre-Test Post-Test Design. SAGE Open, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231193948