The Exploration of PAI Teachers’ Strategies in Implementing Inclusive Learning for Students with Special Needs at MIN 2 Gayo Lues

Abstract

Inclusive education has become a global policy imperative, yet its realization within faith-based instruction in Indonesian madrasah settings remains poorly understood. This study explores the pedagogical strategies employed by Islamic Religious Education (Pendidikan Agama Islam, PAI) teachers in implementing inclusive learning for students with special needs at MIN 2 Gayo Lues, a state Islamic elementary school in a rural highland district of Aceh, Indonesia. Adopting a qualitative single-case study design, data were generated through semi-structured interviews with four PAI teachers, non-participant classroom observation, and document analysis over a three-month period. Data were analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s reflexive procedure, supported by NVivo 14, with trustworthiness ensured through triangulation, member checking, and an audit trail. Findings indicate that PAI teachers enacted inclusion through four interlocking strategies: differentiated and multisensory delivery of religious content, peer-mediated spiritual scaffolding, affective relational accommodation grounded in Islamic values of compassion (rahmah), and improvised curricular modification compensating for the absence of formal individualized education programs. These strategies were constrained by limited specialist training, absent shadow teachers, and minimal institutional support. The study’s novelty lies in theorizing inclusion within PAI as a value-mediated rather than merely technical practice, extending Universal Design for Learning into a faith-based, resource-constrained madrasah context underrepresented in the literature. Practically, the findings inform madrasah-specific teacher professional development and evidence-based inclusion policy for religious education in peripheral regions.