M. Alifudin Ikhsan, Marzuki, Suharno
Civic Education teachers in Islamic boarding school (pesantren)-integrated schools face the unique challenge of integrating deep religious understanding with the concepts of democracy, pluralism, and human rights. This study seeks to fill the research gap related to differences in teacher's understanding of religious moderation. This study aims to explore and compare Civic Education teacher's perspectives on religious moderation in traditional and modern pesantren in Indonesia. The research was conducted in six pesantren, three traditional and three modern pesantren respectively, taking into account geographical location, institution size, and academic reputation. Using a qualitative approach with a comparative case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis. The validity of the results was strengthened through data and method triangulation, as well as member validation. This study confirmed that teachers in traditional pesantren tend to understand religious moderation through the framework of classical Islamic thought with an emphasis on the principle of wasathiyyah. In contrast, teachers in modern pesantren have a more contextualised understanding that links religious moderation with pluralism and global citizenship. Factors such as educational background, teaching experience, and institutional context influence teachers understanding and practice. There are variations in approaches to teaching religious moderation in Civic Education that reflect differences in institutional orientations and individual teachers experiences. This study highlights the importance of a holistic approach in curriculum development and teacher training that considers both personal and institutional dimensions. This study offers insights into the dynamics of understanding and practice of moderate civic education in pesantren-integrated schools, and provides a basis for more inclusive teacher capacity building strategies and education policies in support of social cohesion and civic character. Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Department of Civic Education, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Malang, Indonesia
