Demystifying Religious Tolerance Practices at an Indonesian Early Childhood Education Context: Responding to Diversity

Abstract

Teaching religious tolerance should be conducted from early childhood, but studies and references on religious tolerance among young children are limited. This study explores how to implement religious tolerance in schools and find out how early Muslim children instill religious values as a response to diversity. This study was an exploratory case study deploying an ethnographic classroom approach conducted in a playgroup and kindergarten in Semarang city, Central Java, Indonesia. The participants consisted of the school principal, teachers, Play Group students, and Kindergarten children, while the empirical data of this research were gathered through observation and interview. The findings showed that religious tolerance at the early childhood education level was enacted by celebrating religious events and conducting school activities containing togetherness. Additionally, the inculcation of religious teachings that supported religious tolerance was carried out during religious lessons and worship. Religious tolerance and religious values inculcation prepare children to encounter and respond to diversity in a real-life setting. This study contributes to understanding the implementation of religious tolerance in schools and recommends teachers design lesson plans that include inculcating the values of religious tolerance.