21st Century Teacher Competency: Towards Conceptualization of Islamic Culture in Islamic Schools

Abstract

The present work explores 21st-century teachers' competency in conceptualizing Islamic culture in the MAN 1 Islamic senior high school in Gorontalo City. This descriptive qualitative research employed a descriptive phenomenology approach. All data were generated from observation, interviews, and documentation. The data were further analyzed in four steps: condensation, coding, categorization, and theory. According to the results, 21st-century religious education teachers should be capable of designing, organizing, directing, and supervising the cultivation of the practice of religious teachings in aspects of Islamic law. This aims to embody Islamic cultures, such as dress, religious traditions, and Islamic interaction. Meanwhile, the application of 21st-century skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity has not been practiced by teachers and students. Conducting further research to reveal strategies for comprehensively realizing Islamic culture from various aspects is necessary. This is especially significant in identifying aspects of 21st-century manners aligned with the profile project of Rahmatan lil alamin (a mercy to all creation) and making religious teachings a key leadership competency in madrasas. Keywords: Leadership, Competence, 21st-century Teacher, Islamic Culture