Differentiated Deep Learning and Qur'an Memorization at a State Islamic Primary School

Abstract

Qur'an memorisation instruction has traditionally moved every student at a single pace, although their learning speeds and profiles differ. This study examines the implementation of a differentiated deep-learning approach in the tahfiz programme at MIN 9 Central Aceh, its effect on students' memorisation, and the constraints on its sustainability. A qualitative case study design was employed. Data were collected through four to six weeks of observation of tahfiz instruction, semi-structured interviews with tahfiz teachers, students at three readiness levels, and madrasah leaders, and analysis of teaching modules, memorisation progress logs, and UKHAQ assessment records. The findings show that what changed was not the quantity of repetition but its placement: differentiation converted tikrar from a uniform quota into an allocation that followed readiness. The most marked improvement lay in medium-term retention rather than in the rate at which new material was added, and it was accompanied by reduced pressure on slower learners and deeper spiritual engagement among faster ones. The principal constraint is structural: a single teacher must prepare and monitor three learning tracks without assistant staff, so that the model's sustainability depends on institutional support rather than on teacher commitment.