Negotiating Global Pedagogical Standards and Islamic Educational Values: A Qualitative Study of Teaching Practices in Indonesian Islamic Universities
Keywords:
Islamic higher education; globalization; outcome-based education; educational quality; Islamic pedagogyAbstract
This study investigated how lecturers in an Islamic Education Department negotiate global pedagogical standards within an Islamic epistemological framework. Amid increasing pressures of accreditation, outcome-based education, and international quality assurance systems, Islamic higher education institutions are required to align with global benchmarks while maintaining their religious and moral foundations. Using a qualitative design, this study drew in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 lecturers. Data were analyzed thematically to explore how participants interpret, adapt, and respond to global pedagogical expectations in their teaching practices. The findings revealed three central patterns. First, global standards significantly shape curriculum design and assessment practices, particularly through measurable learning outcomes and documentation requirements. Second, Islamic epistemology functions as a normative anchor, guiding lecturers to integrate ethical responsibility, character formation, consultation (shura), and intellectual reasoning (ijtihad) into globally structured formats. Rather than perceiving global approaches such as critical thinking and student-centered learning as external impositions, participants reinterpret them through Islamic intellectual traditions. Third, negotiation emerges as the dominant strategy; lecturers pragmatically comply with institutional standards while critically reflecting on the limitations of purely quantitative evaluation systems, especially in assessing moral development. The study concludes that globalization in Islamic higher education operates as a process of negotiated equilibrium. Educational quality is conceptualized not merely in terms of measurable academic achievement but as the balanced integration of knowledge, integrity, and social responsibility. These findings contribute to broader discussions on internationalization, educational quality, and epistemological pluralism in faith-based higher education contexts.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.5.41
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