Contextualization of Qur’an Learning in Shaping Students’ Environmental Awareness at SMPN 1 Blangpegayon

Abstract

Environmental degradation has intensified calls for education systems to cultivate ecological responsibility, yet the potential of religious instruction to nurture such responsibility remains underexploited in mainstream schooling. This study examines how teachers at SMPN 1 Blangpegayon contextualize Qur’an learning to shape students’ environmental awareness, and analyses the conditions that enable and constrain this pedagogical integration. A qualitative case-study design was employed, generating data through semi-structured interviews with five Qur’an and Islamic Religious Education teachers and two school leaders, non-participant classroom observation, and analysis of teaching modules and student work. Data were analyzed thematically using the Braun and Clarke framework in NVivo, with trustworthiness secured through triangulation, member checking, and an audit trail. Findings show that teachers connected Qur’anic themes of stewardship (khalifah), prohibition of corruption on earth (fasad), and moderation to concrete local environmental problems, translating scriptural interpretation into practical conduct such as waste management and tree planting. Contextualization was most effective when scriptural exegesis was paired with experiential activity, but it was constrained by limited eco-pedagogical training and the absence of environmental indicators in assessment. The study contributes a situated model of value-based environmental education that links Qur’anic hermeneutics to place-based ecological practice, extending eco-pedagogy into the domain of religious instruction. Practically, it offers a transferable approach for integrating environmental awareness into Qur’an learning without displacing its devotional aims.