The Role of the Hidden Curriculum in the Development of a Quality-Based Islamic Religious Education Curriculum

Abstract

Islamic Religious Education (PAI) plays a strategic role in shaping students’ character, spirituality, and moral values. However, the development of PAI curricula in various educational institutions still faces several quality-related problems, such as the dominance of cognitive-oriented learning, weak internalization of Islamic values, the suboptimal implementation of religious school culture, and the lack of integration between formal learning and character building. These conditions indicate that the quality assurance system of Islamic Religious Education has not fully succeeded in creating holistic and contextual learning processes. This article aims to analyze the role of the hidden curriculum in developing a quality-based PAI curriculum, evaluate the weaknesses of current PAI curriculum implementation, and reconstruct a more integrative curriculum development model oriented toward character building and quality culture in Islamic education. This study employs a qualitative approach using the library research method by analyzing various relevant literature sources, scientific journals, books, and previous studies concerning hidden curriculum, educational quality assurance, and PAI curriculum development. The analysis was conducted critically by identifying the root causes of quality problems in PAI, examining curriculum development theories, and synthesizing the concept of hidden curriculum as a strategic instrument for improving the quality of Islamic education. The findings reveal that the hidden curriculum has a significant contribution to the development of a quality-based PAI curriculum because it is capable of shaping religious culture, strengthening exemplary behavior, reinforcing moral habituation, and internalizing Islamic values continuously within educational environments. The hidden curriculum functions not merely as a complement to the formal curriculum, but also as a central element in constructing a quality assurance system in Islamic education that emphasizes comprehensive character formation. This article proposes a reconstruction model of a quality-based PAI curriculum through the integration of formal curriculum, school culture, teacher exemplification, religious habituation, and sustainable character evaluation. The novelty of this study lies in strengthening the hidden curriculum as the foundation for reconstructing the quality assurance system of Islamic Religious Education, which focuses not only on academic achievement but also on the transformation of values, morality, and institutional quality culture. The implications of this study indicate that improving the quality of PAI requires synergy between the written curriculum and the hidden curriculum in order to create Islamic education that is more humanistic, integrative, and relevant to contemporary educational challenges. Therefore, Islamic educational institutions need to develop a quality culture based on religious values through strengthening role models, habituation, and a conducive educational environment to enhance teacher professionalism and the overall quality of Islamic Religious Education learning sustainably.