Integrating a Love-Based Curriculum into Islamic Religious Education for Character Development in the Digital Era: An Integrative Literature Review
This study examines the integration of a Love-Based Curriculum into Islamic Religious Education as a framework for strengthening student character in the digital era. Employing an integrative literature review design, the study synthesized scholarly articles, books, book chapters, conference proceedings, and educational policy documents published between 2010 and 2026. Relevant literature was systematically collected from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, DOAJ, Google Scholar, Garuda, and SINTA and analyzed through thematic synthesis involving open coding, axial coding, categorization, and conceptual interpretation. The findings indicate that mahabbah (love), rahmah (compassion), and amanah (trustworthiness) function not only as moral outcomes but also as pedagogical mechanisms that facilitate character formation through caring educational relationships, reflective learning, ethical guidance, and value internalization. The literature further suggests that deep learning, digital ethics, and collaboration among schools, families, and communities strengthen students’ moral resilience and responsible participation in digitally mediated environments. The originality of this study lies in integrating pedagogical love, Islamic educational philosophy, deep learning, and digital ethics into a unified conceptual framework for character development. This study contributes to contemporary Islamic education by offering a humanistic and spiritually grounded model that balances intellectual competence, ethical responsibility, emotional maturity, and moral resilience in response to the challenges of digital transformation.
Downloads
References
Abdillah, H. T., Firdaus, E., Syafe’i, M., Budiyanti, N., & Tantowi, Y. A. (2025). Religious character-based inclusive education in general courses for students with disabilities at university. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 11(1), 189–203. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v11i1.44011
Afriyanto, A., & Khoiri, N. (2024). Manajemen pendidikan Islam: Konsepsi dan aktualisasi kepemimpinan transformasional di lembaga pendidikan Islam. JS (Jurnal Sekolah), 8(2), 354–361. https://doi.org/10.24114/js.v8i2.47926
Agustin, D., Tafonao, T., Simanjuntak, M. U., Visnhu, A. H., Sinukaban, E., Zalogo, W., Situmeang, T. M., & Gulo, Y. (2023). Pembinaan nilai-nilai karakter dan etika melalui pendidikan agama Kristen untuk membina akhlak siswa SMP Negeri 28 Batam. Jurnal Abdimas Ilmiah Citra Bakti, 4(1), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.38048/jailcb.v4i1.1461
Aliyah, S.R., Norlianti, N., & Mukmin, M. (2025). Model pembelajaran pendidikan agama Islam (PAI) berbasis deep learning. Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia, 6(5), 2341–2354. https://doi.org/10.59141/japendi.v6i5.7798
Amirudin, A., Muzaki, I. A., & Nurhayati, S. (2026). Reflective digital pedagogy in Islamic religious education and religious character formation in higher education. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 25(2), 763–782. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.2.34
Burhanudin, B. (2025). Implementation of love-based curriculum: An Islamic education perspective. Jurnal Ilmiah Iqra, 19(2), 291. https://doi.org/10.30984/jii.v19i2.3836
Cahyati, S. S., Nurdin, E. S., Ruyadi, Y., Dahliyana, A., Hidayat, M., Warlim, W., Hakam, K. A., & Ganeswara, G. M. (2025). Ministry beyond tolerance: Reframing interfaith harmony through Kurikulum Berbasis Cinta (KBC) in Indonesia. Harmoni, 24(2), 232–253. https://doi.org/10.32488/harmoni.v24i2.946
Chee, K. N. (2025). Affectagogy in action: Redefining pedagogy through emotional engagement. In Pedagogical approaches to bridging emotional and cognitive learning (pp. 25–41). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-0184-6.ch002
Díaz-Megolla, A., & Falcon, S. (2025). Love in formal education: A systematic review of empirical studies. Review of Educational Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543251386453
Djazilan, S., & Wuryandani, W. (2024). Building character together: The synergistic role of parents and communities in shaping school values. Child Education Journal, 6(3), 119–128. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v6i3.6692
Doukas, D. J., Ozar, D. T., Darragh, M., de Groot, J. M., Carter, B. S., & Stout, N. (2022). Virtue and care ethics & humanism in medical education: A scoping review. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), Article 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-03051-6
Dzulfiqar, A. S. (2025). Integrasi kurikulum berbasis cinta dan pembelajaran mendalam dalam pendidikan agama Islam: Suatu studi literatur. Proceedings of Annual Islamic Conference for Learning and Management, 2, 132–152. https://doi.org/10.15642/aiclema.2025.2.132-152
Erlina, G., Riadi, H., Sulwana, S., & Sadiah, H. (2026). Deep learning and love curriculum integration in Indonesian education. Pedagogia: Jurnal Pendidikan, 15(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.21070/pedagogia.v15i1.2105
Faradhita, R., Nisa’, K., Isnaini, K., & Fattah, A. (2025). Pedagogi cinta sebagai mediasi: Menyelaraskan ta’adub dan berpikir kritis di madrasah. Proceedings of Annual Islamic Conference for Learning and Management, 2, 294–308. https://doi.org/10.15642/aiclema.2025.2.294-308
Farhani, D., Zahrah, F. A., Zainuri, A., & Zahra, F. F. (2025). Pelaksanaan deep learning dan AI Islam dan ilmu pengetahuan kurikulum berbasis cinta pada madrasah ibtidaiyah. Indonesian Journal on Education (IJoEd), 2(3), 306–313. https://doi.org/10.70437/ijoed.v2i3.290
Faroqi, N. A. R. A., Tauhid, M., & Khoiri, N. (2025). Integration of the concept of the PAI material curriculum with the love curriculum and deep learning approach. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 8(9). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v8-i9-74
Fatiroh, E., & Sukhoiri, S. (2026). Relevansi kurikulum cinta dalam mengatasi krisis moral peserta didik. Irsyaduna: Jurnal Studi Kemahasiswaan, 5(2), 671–682. https://doi.org/10.54437/irsyaduna.v5i3.2878
Franzi, J., & de Araújo, U. F. (2019). Of love as lacking: A pedagogical approach. Educação e Pesquisa, 45, e215111. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-4634201945215111
Gill, S., & Thomson, G. (2020). Ethical education: Towards an ecology of human development. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108769778
Gustina, E., & Iswantir, I. (2025). Deep learning approach in transforming religious moderation education in the digital era. World Journal of Islamic Learning and Teaching, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.61132/wjilt.v2i3.445
Haikal, M., Ginting, R. F., & Styawan, R. (2025). Pendidikan agama Islam di era digital. Kreatifitas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Islam, 14(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.46781/kreatifitas.v14i2.1819
Ismail, I., Parinduri, M. A., & Ibarra, F. P. (2025). Strengthening the ideology of Islamic religious education in the era of technological disruption. Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Terapan Universitas Jambi, 9(2), 465–473. https://doi.org/10.22437/jiituj.v9i2.41841
Khimmataliev, D. O., Rahmonova, M. Q., Choriev, R. K., Abduvaliyevna, X. N., Omonova, N. P. Q., Badalova, B. T., & Berdalieva, G. A. (2025). Integrating Islamic pedagogy and the Sustainable Development Goals in preparing future educators in Uzbekistan. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 11(2), 216–231. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v11i2.48413
Loreman, T. (2011). Love as pedagogy. Sense Publishers.
Masitoh, D., Erhamwilda, E., & Suhardini, A. D. (2025). Pembelajaran afektif dalam pendidikan Islam: Menyentuh hati, membentuk karakter. Masagi, 2(2), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.29313/masagi.v2i2.7600
Masykuri, M., Qodriyah, K., & BZ, Z. (2020). Pendidikan Islam multikultural berwawasan wasathiyah: Penguatan karakter wasathiyah santri patriot panji pelopor. Jurnal Islam Nusantara, 4(2), 246–260. https://doi.org/10.33852/jurnalin.v4i2.234
Mortari, L. (2025). Virtue education and care theory. In Educating for care and virtue development in young children: Research approaches in ethics education from the MelArete Project (pp. 79–109). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003595885-7
Mufid, A., Suryadi, K., Rahmat, R., & Mahpudz, A. (2026). Defending the nation in the era of disruption: Building the character of Gen Z students through technology and character education. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8(9). https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026587
Mukhlasin, A., Mukhlis, M., Syahputra, M. R., Suhendri, S., Sari, N., & Iqbāl, M. (2025). Pendidikan Islam moderat sebagai pondasi kehidupan berbangsa (mewujudkan generasi toleran dan multikultural). Prosiding Universitas Dharmawangsa, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.46576/prosundhar.v5i1.504
Murtadho, M. A., Zainuri, A., & Yasir, M. G. (2026). Kurikulum berbasis cinta sebagai upaya pembentukan karakter siswa di SDIT Kamiliyah Palembang-Kota Palembang. Didaktik: Jurnal Ilmiah PGSD STKIP Subang, 12(1), 142–154. https://doi.org/10.36989/didaktik.v12i01.12004
Nemet, M. B., Zec, R. T., & Krstić, A. (2022). Pedagogy of effective love in the culture of an educational institution [Pedagogija djelotvorne ljubavi u kulturi odgojno-obrazovne ustanove]. Diacovensia, 30(4), 615–634. https://doi.org/10.31823/d.30.4.7
Nisa, C., Marina, D., Nurhalijah, S., & Hasibuan, R. (2025). Upaya meningkatkan perkembangan akhlak dan moral anak usia dini melalui kegiatan shalat dhuha berjamaah di TK Ar Raihan. Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 2(2), 8. https://doi.org/10.47134/paud.v2i2.1311
Novita, M., Hayat, T. J., Najiburrohman, N., Abu Hasan Agus, R., & Hefniy, H. (2026). Spiritual and value-based Islamic educational leadership in Indonesia: A hermeneutic inquiry into love, moderation, and institutional management. Munaddhomah, 7(2), 336–353. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v7i2.2571
Osipov, P., & Ziyatdinova, J. (2010). Humanities in engineering education for character development. In Joint International IGIP-SEFI Annual Conference 2010.
Pessi, A. B. (2026). Pedagogy of care: Compassion as self-transcendence—The Kohlberg memorial lecture of 2025. Journal of Moral Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2026.2636317
Pierrakos, O., Yeaman, A., Luthy, K., & Gentile, M. (2023). Moral and civic virtues in engineering: Reimagining engineering ethics to cultivate virtuous engineers. Proceedings of the Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE 2023). https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10342968
Putra, P., Ilias, M. F., Hartono, R., Burhanuddin, B., Saputra, N., & Barsihanor, B. (2026). Digital literacy as a transformative framework for character education: A case study in madrasah ibtidaiyah. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v9i1.429
Putri, F., Fajtriansyah, A. P., & Zahra, Q. A. (2025). Desain pembelajaran PAI efektif dengan pendekatan humanistik dan spiritualitas Islam. Jurnal Budi Pekerti Agama Islam, 3(6), 124–138. https://doi.org/10.61132/jbpai.v3i6.1640
Rabin, C. (2011). Learning to care during storytime in the current context: Moral education from the perspective of care ethics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 25(1), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2011.533114
Rabin, C. (2014). Don’t throw the rocks!: Cultivating care with a pedagogy called rocks-in-the-basket. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 28(2), 145–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2014.883451
Rabin, C., & Smith, G. (2013). Teaching care ethics: Conceptual understandings and stories for learning. Journal of Moral Education, 42(2), 164–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2013.785942
Revalina, A., Moeis, I., & Indrawadi, J. (2023). Degradasi moral siswa-siswi dalam penerapan nilai Pancasila ditinjau dari pendidikan kewarganegaraan sebagai pendidikan karakter. Jurnal Moral Kemasyarakatan, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.21067/jmk.v8i1.8278
Rosadah, L. L., Koswara, A., Wahyuni, Y., Zuhdiyah, Z., & Karolina, A. (2025). Love-based curriculum meets deep learning: Transforming Islamic education at SMAN 3 Palembang. IJGIE (International Journal of Graduate of Islamic Education), 7(1), 41–51. https://doi.org/10.37567/ijgie.v7i1.4365
Saadah, M., Prasetiyo, Y. C., & Rahmayati, G. T. (2022). Strategi dalam menjaga keabsahan data pada penelitian kualitatif. Al-’Adad, 1(2), 54–64. https://doi.org/10.24260/add.v1i2.1113
Shaleh, M., Tobroni, T., Mundir, M., & Umiarso, U. (2024). Development of a holistic-integrative Islamic religious education curriculum in an integrated Islamic school. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 2024(113), 227–241. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2024.113.13
Slote, M. (2010). Caring, empathy, and moral education. In H. Siegel (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy of education (pp. 27–41). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195312881.003.0013
Subandi, G., Eriyanti, R. W., Karmiyati, D., Nurfaisal, N., & Widodo, J. (2025). A response to the character crisis: Can a digital Islamic character education based on local wisdom be the solution? Perspectives in Education, 43(3), 236–253. https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v43i3.8097
Subiyantoro, S., Rohmadani, Z. V., & Achadi, M. W. (2026). Integrating religious dimensions and humanistic education to enhance student personality: A case study in Indonesian madrasas. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026208
Sukmayeti, S., Masnita, D., Hamidar, N., Fauzi, M., & Wahyuni, S. (2026). Kurikulum cinta sebagai paradigma penguatan moderasi beragama dalam pengembangan kurikulum pendidikan agama Islam di madrasah. Tsaqofah, 6(2), 2149–2157. https://doi.org/10.58578/tsaqofah.v6i2.8798
Suratin, S. I., & Munawarsyah, M. (2025). Rekonstruksi kurikulum berbasis etos cinta sebagai kerangka epistemik untuk membangun ekosistem pembelajaran mendalam di lembaga pendidikan kontemporer. Proceedings of Annual Islamic Conference for Learning and Management, 2, 153–170. https://doi.org/10.15642/aiclema.2025.2.153-170
Suwahyu, I. (2024). Peran inovasi teknologi dalam transformasi pendidikan Islam di era digital. Referensi Islamika: Jurnal Studi Islam, 2(2), 28–41. https://doi.org/10.61220/ri.v2i2.003
Syafi’i, I., & Noviani, D. (2026). Integrasi etika pendidikan Islam dalam kurikulum berbasis cinta di era disrupsi digital dan anonimitas global. Educational: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan & Pengajaran, 6(1), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.51878/educational.v6i1.8823
Syafri, U. A., & Budin, H. B. (2025). Teachers, parents, and the digital challenge: Understanding Islamic character formation in Singapore’s madrasa education. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(3), 627–642. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v8i3.239
Syah, A., Meiwindah, M., Fatihah, M. R., Fariza, Z. A., & Dealova, J. (2025). Penerapan kurikulum berbasis cinta di MI Al-Islah Palembang: Membangun pendidikan yang humanis dan berkarakter. SENTRI: Jurnal Riset Ilmiah, 4(10), 2858–2867. https://doi.org/10.55681/sentri.v4i10.4799
Syarnubi, S., Mansir, M., Purnomo, M. E., Harto, K., & Hawi, A. (2021). Implementing character education in madrasah. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(1), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v7i1.8449
Tan, E., & Muangasame, K. (2025). (Eco)pedagogical love and community-based andragogy for rural communities: The transformative learning journey of Sapphaya, Thailand. In Pedagogical love in adult education: New perspectives in nurturing, growth and transformation (pp. 189–206). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82046-5_10
Taufik, M. (2020). Strategic role of Islamic religious education in strengthening character education in the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura, 20(1), 86–104. https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v20i1.5797
Toron, V. B., Bhoki, H., Bria, F. M. U., & Waton, F. R. (2026). Cognitive and emotional engagement in character formation: A phenomenological study of school-family synergy. Journal Evaluation in Education (JEE), 7(1), 183–192. https://doi.org/10.37251/jee.v7i1.2241
Vanderheiden, E. (2025). The transformative power of pedagogical love as transcultural resource. In International handbook of love: Transcultural and transdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 1129–1149). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-94512-0_89
Vanderheiden, E., Mayer, C. H., & Barcelos, A. M. F. (2025). Editorial: Roots and branches—Foundational approaches to pedagogical love in adult education. In Pedagogical love in adult education: New perspectives in nurturing, growth and transformation (pp. 1–23). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82046-5_1
Velasquez, A., West, R., Graham, C., & Osguthorpe, R. (2013). Developing caring relationships in schools: A review of the research on caring and nurturing pedagogies. Review of Education, 1(2), 162–190. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3014
Warsito, W., & Sunhaji, S. (2026). Manajemen kurikulum pendidikan Islam: Sinergi antara nilai spiritual dan inovasi teknologi. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal, 7(1), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.54373/imeij.v7i1.4848
Widodo, D. A., & Hadi, S. (2025). Transformasi pembelajaran pendidikan agama Islam pada era kecerdasan digital: Analisis konseptual pendekatan, konten, dan peran guru. Almarhalah: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 10(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.38153/2yp7g222
Zembylas, M. (2017). Love as ethico-political practice: Inventing reparative pedagogies of aimance in “disjointed” times. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 14(1), 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/15505170.2016.1277572
Zuhri, A., Alnashr, M. S., Nihayah, H., Ihsan, I., Ulumuddin, I. K., Darnoto, D., & Munjiat, S. M. (2026). How madrasahs build students’ character in Indonesia's Society 5.0 era: Emerging challenges. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 166–186. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v9i1.412
Downloads
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Riskiyah, Abdul Aziz, Ayus Ahmad Yusuf
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
