The Use of Islamic Literature to Teach Ethical English

Abstract

Ethical English instruction has paved the way for every religion to make its interpretation. From the Islam religion perspective, such interpretation is still under research. This study describes how ethical English instruction takes place in an Indonesian Islamic higher education institution; how literature, particularly Islamic literature, becomes a factor of ethical English instruction; and the students' transformation through ethical English instruction. Applying a content analysis method, this case study involved 60 freshmen students of the English language education program of State Islamic Institute of Metro, Lampung, Indonesia. The research data was drawn from five main data sources, namely interviews, classroom observations, teaching materials, samples of students' works, and questionnaires. This study shows that (1) the use of Islamic literature to teach ethical English in the Indonesian Islamic higher education is potential; (2) text exploitability becomes a dominant factor in ethical English instruction; and (3) a contextualized approach, derived from the existing global approach and local teaching method, transforms the students positively. It is concluded that ethical English teaching within Indonesian Islamic higher education ought to utilize Islamic literature and be conducted through a contextualized approach.