##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
Mainstreaming Religious Moderation in Indonesian Higher Education: Perspectives on Goals, Curriculum Content, and Implementation Strategies
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
Abstract
Purpose – This study maps stakeholder perspectives on the goals, content, and delivery strategies of Religious Moderation Education (RME) in Indonesian universities, and tests alignment between preferences and current practice. It responds to policy calls to move beyond course‑only provision toward campus‑wide mainstreaming.
Design/methods/approach – A cross‑sectional online survey of 500 respondents (200 lecturers, 300 students) from public and Islamic universities used structured Likert‑type questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and cross‑tabulations.
Findings – Respondents strongly endorsed core objectives: strengthening Pancasila‑based civic identity (85%), preventing conflict and radicalism (84%), and bridging religious–non‑religious perspectives (80%). Content priorities centred on interfaith harmony (M = 4.35) and civic‑constitutional values (M = 4.28), with intra‑Islam harmony also high (M = 4.12). Integrated cross‑curricular models received the highest effectiveness rating (M = 4.32) yet were less used than IRE‑only courses (41% vs 68%); campus‑culture programming was also effective (M = 4.05; usage 55%). These figures indicate a misalignment between stakeholder preferences and prevailing practice.
Research implications/limitations – Evidence supports system‑level integration of RME across curricula and campus culture, coupled with lecturer development and assessment. Cross‑sectional, self‑report data limit causal inference and generalizability; longitudinal and implementation studies are needed.
Originality/value – Provides a large‑N, multi‑stakeholder baseline and advances a goals–content–strategy framework not only as a practical policy tool but also as a conceptual contribution to the study of Religious Moderation Education (RME) and contemporary religious education more broadly. By analytically linking normative goals, curricular content domains, and delivery strategies, the framework offers a transferable lens for examining how religious education can balance identity formation with civic pluralism. It also guides institutional audits and policy design for inclusive, effective RME and underscores the need for system-level reforms to enhance the civic and pluralistic impact of religious education in diverse societies
Keywords:
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
How to Cite
References
Abdullahi, S. A. (2021). Nigeria’s inter-faith, inter-ideology crisis: The need for global citizenship education. In T. Teo (Ed.), Third international handbook of globalisation, education and policy research (pp. 805–818). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66003-1_46
Afwadzi, B., Sumbulah, U., Ali, N., & Qudsy, S. Z. (2024). Religious moderation of Islamic university students in Indonesia: Reception of religious texts. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 80(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i1.9369
Alhaj, M., Hassan, M., & Al-Refai, A. (2020). A new approach for multi-level evaluation of strategic educational goals. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 11(3), 289–298. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2020.0110336
Amirudin, A., Muzaki, I. A., & Nurhayati, S. (2025). Problem-based learning as a pedagogical innovation for transforming higher education students’ Islamic religious comprehension. Educational Process: International Journal, 18(1), xx–xx. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2025.18.412
Araujo, S. M., & Cruz-Correia, R. (2024). Incorporating ChatGPT in medical informatics education: Mixed methods study on student perceptions and experiential integration proposals. JMIR Medical Education, 10(1), Article e51151. https://doi.org/10.2196/51151
Arifin, Z., Nabila, T. K., & Rahmi, S. (2025). Organization of Islamic education curricula to prevent radicalism among students at Indonesian universities. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 22(1), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.8316
Bahri, R., Rofiqi, M., & Rusydiyah, E. F. (2025). Religious moderation education: A comparative study of Islamic approaches in Indonesia and Malaysia with implications for faith-based education. International Studies in Catholic Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2025.2519727
Basuki, A. M. H., & Ja’far, A. K. (2025). Peran pendidikan hukum Islam dalam pembentukan karakter moderasi beragama pada generasi muda. Ambarsa, 5(1), 26–42. https://doi.org/10.59106/abs.v5i1.276
Chacón-Cuberos, R., Gamarra-Vengoechea, M. A., Pérez-Mármol, M., Rakdani-Arif, F. Z., García-Garnica, M., & Castro-Sánchez, M. (2024). Artificial intelligence in higher education: Reflections from future teachers. Revista de Educación a Distancia, 24(80), Article e601931. https://doi.org/10.6018/red.601931
Chotimah, C., Qudsy, S. Z., & Yusuf, M. (2025). Superficial implementation of religious moderation in Islamic educational management. Cogent Education, 12(1), Article 2442235. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2442235
Curşeu, P. L., & Schruijer, S. G. L. (2020). Stakeholder diversity and the comprehensiveness of sustainability decisions: A field study. Sustainability, 12(3), Article 987. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030987
Darmi, R., Ramlan, S. R., Abdullah, R. R., & Luthfan, M. A. (2024). Religious moderation in primary education: Experiences of teachers in Indonesia and Malaysia. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(2), Article 10009. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i2.10009
Dowson, M., & McInerney, D. M. (2004). The development and validation of the goal orientation and learning strategies survey (GOALS-S). Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64(2), 290–310. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164403251335
Fancourt, N. P. M. (2015). Re-defining learning about religion and learning from religion: A study of policy change. British Journal of Religious Education, 37(2), 160–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2014.923377
Febrianto, S., & Munfarida, E. (2023). Implikasi konsep moderasi beragama terhadap multikulturalisme di Indonesia. Jurnal Suarga: Studi Keberagamaan dan Keberagaman, 2(1), 72–96. https://doi.org/10.24090/suarga.v2i1.8233
Fitriani, M. I. (2023). Islamic religious education and interreligious tolerance in a multi-religious country: Challenges, typological implications, and the proposed strategy. Ulumuna, 27(1), 416–449. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v27i1.765
Hanafi, Y., Saefi, M., Diyana, T. N., Ikhsan, M. A., Yani, M. T., Suciptaningsih, O. A., Anggraini, A. E., & Rufiana, I. S. (2023). What content offers and how teachers teach: Religious moderation-integrated teaching in Indonesia. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 79(2). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i2.9070
Huang, R. (2022). A quantitative high-throughput screening data analysis pipeline for activity profiling. In M. A. Held (Ed.), Methods in molecular biology (Vol. 2474, pp. 133–145). Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2213-1_13
Husna, H. Z. (2022). Moderasi beragama perspektif Al-Qur’an sebagai solusi terhadap sikap intoleransi. Al-Mutsla, 4(1), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.46870/jstain.v4i1.202
Ikhrom, I., Abdullah, I., Kafipour, R., Mubaraq, Z., & Sutiyono, A. (2023). Intolerance in Islamic textbooks: The quest for an Islamic teaching model for Indonesian schools. Cogent Education, 10(2), Article 2268454. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2268454
Jakovljevic, M., Karacic, M., & Matijasevic, B. (2024). Methods and techniques of subconscious manipulation on students’ psychological well-being in educational contexts. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala, 16(4), 334–360. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/16.4/918
Kholis, N., & Rini, J. (2023). Navigating the nexus: Government policies in cultivating religious moderation within state Islamic higher education. Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies, 11(1), 207–236. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v11i1.12677
Kosim, M., Kustati, M., Sirait, W. R., Fajri, S., Febriani, S. R., & Perrodin, D. D. (2024). Developing a religious moderation-based curriculum module for laboratory Madrasah Tsanawiyah in Islamic higher education. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 10(2), 350–362. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v10i2.39163
Kosim, M., Kustati, M., Farid, H. M., Waeno, M., Sirait, W. R., & Fajri, S. (2025). Tolerance education in Muslim minority educational institutions in Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 22(1), 235–254. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.11101
Lopez, N., Shingler, K., Real, C., Nirkhiwale, A., & Quick, K. (2024). Cultural competency in dental education: Developing a tool for assessment and inclusion. Journal of Dental Education, 88(5), 587–595. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13466
Mardhiah, A., Muhammad, A., Walidin, A. W., & Thalal, M. (2025). Legal implementation of religious moderation policy at state Islamic higher education in Indonesia. Petita: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Hukum dan Syariah, 10(1), xx–xx. https://doi.org/10.22373/petita.v10i1.417
Muhamad, A., Khalil, S. A., Basir, S. A., & Norasid, M. A. (2024). Instilling Islamic values of environmental sustainability through experiential learning: A case study of revealed knowledge and natural phenomena’s students. Asia Pacific Journal of Educators and Education, 39(2), 219–248. https://doi.org/10.21315/apjee2024.39.2.12
Muhtar, F., Nasir, M. A., & Nordin, H. (2025). Interfaith educational collaboration enhances cultural adaptation in Lombok and Bali. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 22(1), 22–42. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.10627
Mukhibat, M., Effendi, M., Setyawan, W. H., & Sutoyo, M. (2024). Development and evaluation of religious moderation education curriculum at higher education in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 11(1), Article 2302308. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2302308
Muliadi, M., Syamsidar, S., & Islam, N. (2025). Religious moderation by design: A comparative sociological da’wah study in Indonesian higher education. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 13(2), 1549–1580. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v13i2.1778
Mulyana, R. (2023). Religious moderation in Islamic religious education textbook and implementation in Indonesia. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 79(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.8592
Muthia, A., Sultan, M. I., & Latief, D. (2024). Website Kemenag.co.id sebagai strategi komunikasi publik dalam menyebarluaskan program moderasi beragama. Jurnal Penelitian Inovatif, 4(2), 354–360. https://doi.org/10.54082/jupin.302
Muzayanah, U. H., & Ghony, D. (2025). The harmonization of multicultural Islamic education values in diversity: A case from Indonesia. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 9(3), 1212–1226. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v9i3.5468
Nadhif, M., Sirojuddin, A., & Hakim, M. N. (2025). Peran pendidikan agama Islam dalam moderasi beragama untuk mencegah radikalisasi di sekolah umum di Malang Raya. Academicus, 4(2), 92–102. https://doi.org/10.59373/academicus.v4i2.94
Nasir, M., & Rijal, M. K. (2021). Keeping the middle path: Mainstreaming religious moderation through Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 11(2), 213–241. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v11i2.213-241
Nasirian, S., Nogara, G., & Giordano, S. (2024). Not my fault: Studying the necessity of the user classification & employment of fine-level user-based moderation interventions in social networks. In H. Cherifi, L. M. Rocha, C. Cherifi, & M. Donduran (Eds.), Studies in computational intelligence (Vol. 1144, pp. 354–365). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53503-1_29
Parker, L. (2014). Religious education for peaceful coexistence in Indonesia?. South East Asia Research, 22(4), 503–519. https://doi.org/10.5367/sear.2014.0231
Parwanto, W. (2025). Kebijakan moderasi beragama di Indonesia: Studi atas keberadaan, peluang dan tantangan serta tawaran kebijakan ke depan. Journal of Religious Policy, 4(1), 156–180. https://doi.org/10.31330/repo.v4i1.90
Rifai, I. E., & Nurhaliza, N. (2024). Islamic religious education as the main pillar to improve indicators of religious moderation. Equilibrium: Jurnal Pendidikan, 12(1), 102–109. https://doi.org/10.26618/equilibrium.v12i1.13646
Rusmana, D., Gunawan, H., & Martiningsih, D. (2025). Instilling moderation: Transforming religious education in Madrasah Aliyah. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 13(1), 77–102. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v13i1.1830
Sidik, M. F., Vachruddin, V. P., Rusydiyah, E. F., Pertiwi, A. S., & Darmawan, M. A. (2024). Conceptualization of the integrated Islamic religious education curriculum: A literature study at Imam Hatip schools Turkey and MAN Insan Cendekia Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 111–130. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i1.7617
Susanti, S. S., Nursafitri, L., Hamzah, I., Zunarti, R., Asy’arie, B. F., & Sa’ad, M. S. (2024). Innovative digital media in Islamic religious education learning. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 40–59. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i1.7553
Takdir, M. (2025). Moderation reasoning based on religious literacy to prevent radicalisation among interfaith Generation Z in Indonesia. International Studies in Catholic Education, 17(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2025.2568712
Takunas, R., Mashuri, S., Tahang Basire, J. H., Dulumina, G. B., & Mohi, S. M. (2024). Multicultural Islamic religious education learning to build religious harmony. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(3), 590–607. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v7i3.18
Teo, T. (Ed.). (2013). Handbook of quantitative methods for educational research. Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-404-8
Tinambunan, E. R. L., Gegel, I. K., Sarbini, P. B., & Baik, G. Z. (2025). Implication Abu Dhabi Document: To build religious moderation with brotherhood-sisterhood and friendship in Indonesia. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1), Article 2451514. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2451514
Untung, N., Cahyono, H., Marbun, P., Hosea, A., Sumual, I. S., & Rajagukguk, J. S. P. (2025). Church planting strategies in the context of religious moderation in multicultural societies. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 81(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v81i1.10498
Yahya, M. H. M. W. B., & Rahmat, M. (2021). Building moderate Islamic thoughts in Indonesian students through dialogue-argumentative methods. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 10(3), 288–300. https://doi.org/10.36941/AJIS-2021-0084
Ichsan, Y., Syamsudin, S., Nuryana, Z., & Sukiman. (2024). Realizing Islamic education based on religious moderation with the Wasathiyah Islamic paradigm from the perspective of the Qur’an. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 247–263. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i1.9944
25
Views
8
Downloads
