The increasingly complex global environmental crisis indicates that ecological problems are not merely technical in nature but are rooted in the way humans perceive nature. Ironically, environmental degradation is also prevalent in regions with predominantly Muslim populations, despite the Qur’an containing strong ecological ethical values. This condition suggests a failure in the internalization of religious values within the education system, particularly in Islamic Religious Education. This study aims to analyze Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s ecotheological thought and examine its relevance as a conceptual foundation in Islamic Religious Education, especially in fostering students’ ecological and spiritual awareness. This research employs a qualitative approach using a library research method by analyzing Nasr’s works and contemporary literature on ecotheology and Islamic education. The findings reveal that Nasr’s critique of modernity—which views nature merely as an object of exploitation—holds strong relevance for the development of Islamic Religious Education oriented toward the internalization of tawhid, amanah (trust), and adab (ethical conduct) toward nature. Nasr’s ecotheology can serve as a pedagogical foundation to shift Islamic Religious Education from a cognitive-normative approach toward the sustainable formation of students’ ecotheological character. Therefore, this study emphasizes that Islamic Religious Education has a strategic role in responding to environmental crises through strengthening the spiritual and ethical dimensions of human-nature relationships

ABSTRACT In 1985, the American psychologist and educationalist Lawrence Kohlberg visited the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany. At the invitation of the Social Democrat-led Ministry of Education, he took part in a media-effective symposium and visited schools in the state. The article reconstructs the educational policy, pedagogical and school contexts of Kohlberg’s trip and analyses the interests of the political and academic actors in the Federal Republic who initiated, accompanied and evaluated his visit. Having lost its opinion leadership at the federal level with the transition to Helmut Kohl’s Christian Democratic (CDU) government in 1982, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) attempted to rebrand itself. Taking Kohlberg’s concepts of moral education as a starting point for its educational policy, the SPD sought to regain hegemony in the educational policy and pedagogical discourses of the Federal Republic and further develop the central reform goals from the educational reform era of the 1960s and 1970s, such as democratic education and pupil participation, in the changed constellations of the 1980s. The attempt to politically instrumentalise Kohlberg’s concepts and implement them in schools met with numerous resistances and restrictions in the fields of West German politics, science and schools. Kohlberg’s trip sheds light on the interactions between political programmes, social debates, scientific research projects in psychology and educational science and pedagogical fields of action such as teacher training and schools, which are revealing for the West German history of education “since the boom.”

HRMARS - Character building has become an essential agenda in Malaysian primary education, especially amid rising concerns over school bullying and declining interpersonal values. This qualitative study investigates how primary school teachers understand, implement, and experience challenges in fostering character development among students. Using a phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve teachers from public primary schools in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. Thematic analysis revealed three major findings. First, teachers conceptualize character building holistically, emphasizing moral reasoning, emotional regulation, empathy, responsibility, and social harmony. They view character formation as foundational to the aims of the National Education Philosophy and integral to nurturing balanced individuals. Second, teachers employ various pedagogical and relational strategies, including role modelling, value integration across subjects, co-curricular participation, reflective dialogue, and empathy-based discussions. These practices align with social learning theory and whole-school approaches to moral education. Third, teachers face significant constraints, including curriculum overload, limited parental reinforcement, insufficient training in character pedagogy, and lack of structured assessment tools. Although policy frameworks such as the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah and the 2025 MOE character-building initiative support values education, practical implementation remains inconsistent due to systemic pressures focused on academic performance. The study contributes to character education literature by foregrounding teacher experiences within Malaysia’s multicultural context. It highlights the need for strengthened professional development, whole-school moral ecosystems, and collaborative home–school partnerships. The findings offer implications for policymakers, school leaders, and teacher educators seeking to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of character education in Malaysian primary schools.

The tradition of Qur’an memorization (ḥifẓ, hafızlık) in Bulgaria has developed within changing political and social conditions, resulting in a history marked by both continuity and interruption. In the post-Ottoman period, hafızlık was sustained as a local tradition shaped by mosque-based religious instruction and family transmission. This continuity was seriously disrupted during the socialist period (1944–1989), when religious education was excluded from public life. Mosques were placed under strict control; formal Qur’anic instruction was prohibited. Memorization was therefore carried on largely without an institutional framework, most often within the home and in conditions of secrecy. Following the political transition of 1989, public religious life gradually re-emerged; however, the reconstruction of religious education progressed slowly throughout the 1990s, shaped by infrastructural limitations, a shortage of trained personnel, and the gradual reorganization of religious institutions. Within this context, the Madan Hafızlık Qur’an Course was established on 1 July 1999 under the authority of the Office of the Grand Mufti, during the tenure of Grand Mufti Mustafa Haji, becoming the first and only officially recognized institution in Bulgaria devoted exclusively to Qur’an memorization. This article examines contemporary hafızlık education in Bulgaria through the case of the Madan course, focusing on how Qur’an memorization is pursued alongside the country’s secular public education system and assessing the significance of this institution for the Muslim minority in terms of religious education and communal continuity. The study draws on both fieldwork and documentary sources collected in the summer of 2025, including institutional documents and materials produced by the Office of the Grand Mufti as well as local press and media sources. The findings show that the memorization method practiced at Madan closely corresponds to the traditional hafızlık approach widely used in Türkiye, particularly with respect to working from a single muṣḥaf, correction through repetition, steady daily progress, and systematic review aimed at long-term retention. At the same time, the organization of the course allows students to continue their regular state schooling, reflecting a locally adapted model suited to Bulgaria’s secular educational environment. Finally, the article demonstrates that a significant number of Madan graduates continue their religious education after completing memorization and later serve as imams, Qur’an-course teachers, preachers, or staff within local muftiate offices, thereby contributing to the continuity of religious education and institutional life in post-socialist Bulgaria.

This article explores the representation of the stages at the gate of Sharia in the works of Sulaymon Boqirgoniy within the framework of the Yasaviya Sufi tradition. The study focuses on the interpretation of the ten maqoms of Sharia and their role in the spiritual formation of the seeker (solik). Particular attention is given to the reflection of the five pillars of Islam—faith (iman), prayer (salat), fasting (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and pilgrimage (hajj)—in the poet’s hikmats. The research analyzes how Boqirgoniy integrates Islamic doctrinal principles with Sufi teachings, presenting them in a didactic and accessible poetic form. It is revealed that Sharia is conceptualized as the foundational stage of spiritual development, preceding the path of tariqa and ensuring moral and religious discipline. Through textual and conceptual analysis, the article demonstrates that Boqirgoniy’s works serve not only as religious instruction but also as a means of shaping ethical consciousness and promoting spiritual self-perfection. The findings highlight the significance of his творчество in the dissemination of Yasaviya teachings and in the development of Uzbek Sufi literature. Keywords: Sharia, Yasaviya order, Sulaymon Boqirgoniy, maqom, Sufism, hikmat, iman, salat, sawm, zakat, spiritual development, Islamic doctrine, moral education, tariqa, Sufi literature.

This article analyzes the pedagogical significance of ideas related to labor education and career choice in the spiritual heritage of Eastern scholars. The study examines the views of Abu Nasr Forobiy, Abu Rayhon Beruniy, Abu Ali ibn Sino, and Alisher Navoiy, highlighting their perspectives on labor, professional skills, and personal development. The article reveals the role of labor as a means of achieving personal maturity, its importance in social development, and its close connection with moral education. It also substantiates that labor education contributes to the formation of essential personal qualities in students, such as responsibility, discipline, patience, and independence. The research findings indicate that the ideas of Eastern thinkers serve as an important methodological basis for guiding students toward professional orientation. It is emphasized that the integration of these ideas into the educational process can enhance students’ conscious career choice, as well as develop their diligence and independent thinking skills

Higher religious education in Türkiye has developed along a complex historical path, beginning with the Suffa and madrasas and later becoming institutionalized within Faculties of Theology. Across these stages, the mission has remained the preservation of Islamic knowledge, moral guidance, and cultural continuity. Despite repeated reforms, many structural and curricular problems identified in earlier eras persist. This study seeks to examine the historical evolution of higher religious education and identify its persistent structural deficiencies on Turkiye’s transformation. The study uses comparative historical document analysis to examine key reform texts, including reports by Ali Fuat Başgil and Hamidullah (1969) alongside later works edited by Akyürek (2015) and Şeyma Altın (2021). AI-supported tools assisted in organizing and coding themes, while interpretation and validation remained the responsibility of the authors. The findings show persistent debates on curriculum design, academic formation, and theology’s social function, demonstrating continuity over time. Nevertheless, recent discussions place stronger emphasis on digitalization, interdisciplinarity, and expanding professional roles. The study concludes that change in Turkiye’s higher religious education largely occurs through reinterpretation of inherited frameworks rather than fundamental institutional breaks, contributing to international debates on continuity and transformation in specialized higher education.

Edu-community practice: what the community means for religious education equality in Indonesia

This study explores the use of the metaphor “knowledge rooted in the heart” in a speech delivered by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu'ti, at Pondok Pesantren Amanatul Ummah. Employing a pragmatic approach, the article examines how the metaphor functions within its communicative setting, what is being emphasized, how the message is oriented toward the audience, and which values are legitimized through specific linguistic choices. The phrase “knowledge in the heart” is interpreted not merely as a poetic expression, but as an insistence on the internalization of values in the educational process. From a pragmatic standpoint, the utterance carries normative force, inviting, advising, and reaffirming that knowledge should not remain confined to cognitive achievement but should develop into character. In another part of the speech, references to technology and artificial intelligence articulate a critical position, namely that technology should be mastered while human beings must remain in control rather than becoming dependent on it. The formulation of three qualities, knowledgeable, capable, and humble, signals an effort to integrate intellectual competence, practical skills, and moral integrity within a unified educational framework. The findings suggest that metaphor operates as a rhetorical device that strengthens moral messages, fosters emotional engagement with the audience, and underscores an educational orientation centered on cultivating knowledgeable and virtuous individuals. Therefore, the discourse functions not only informatively but also persuasively and ideologically in shaping a vision of future generations.

ABSTRACT This article explores Taylor Swift’s lyrics, showing how they can be used as a gateway to engage students in poetry, in other literature and in concepts of emotion, virtue, vice and the human condition. In showing lyrics that reflect themes prevalent in canonised poems, so educators can show where contemporary songwriters find inspiration to express themes and emotions. Where themes of emotion and ethical dilemmas exist, so we can identify the ethical value of the lyric. Doing so can encourage students to consider the process of moral betterment. We use ‘betterment’ to move beyond contested definitions of terms such as ‘virtue literacy’ in moral education and to socialise a term intended to define virtue comprehension, emotional regulation and moral growth in an easy to understand and palatable way for practitioners. This article showcases Swift as an artist whose lyrics are ripe for literary analysis, finding links to themes prevalent in canonised, traditional poetry, but also identifying ethical value within lyrics and using them to explore application to one’s own moral development.

This study aims to identify the application of positive psychology in Islamic Religious Education (PAI) learning in elementary schools and analyze its impact on students' spiritual well-being. Positive psychology, which focuses on developing happiness, gratitude, optimism, and empathy, is integrated into PAI materials to improve students' character and spiritual well-being. A qualitative research method with a case study approach was used to explore the experiences of students, teachers, and principals in implementing positive psychology in PAI learning. The results show that the application of positive psychology can increase students' self-confidence, learning motivation, and inner peace. Students involved in positive psychology-based learning demonstrate a more positive attitude, are able to manage their emotions, and have a greater sense of gratitude for their lives. Although there are challenges in implementation, such as differences in student backgrounds and limited learning time, a flexible and collaborative approach between teachers and parents can help overcome these obstacles. This research contributes to the development of an PAI curriculum that is more relevant and responsive to students' spiritual needs in the modern era

General Background: Islamic Religious Education learning faces challenges in responding to digital-era demands and shifting student expectations toward more participatory and contextual learning processes. Specific Background: In private Madrasah Tsanawiyah across Deli Serdang Regency, learning practices show variability in pedagogical approaches, assessment, and institutional support. Knowledge Gap: Existing studies have not sufficiently explained how learning transformation occurs across different institutional contexts nor produced an integrative conceptual model based on multi-site analysis. Aims: This study aims to analyze actual learning conditions, identify forms of transformation, examine supporting and inhibiting factors, and formulate a cross-site conceptual model of learning transformation. Results: Findings indicate that transformation occurs gradually through revisions of instructional documents, a shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning, implementation of formative assessment, and continuous reflection and feedback practices. The process is influenced by teacher pedagogical competence, digital literacy, leadership, collaborative culture, and infrastructure limitations, alongside administrative burdens and bureaucratic constraints. Novelty: The study proposes an integrative conceptual model positioning learning transformation as a dynamic cycle involving policy implementation, pedagogical practice, reflection, evaluation, and feedback across institutional systems. Implications: Sustainable transformation depends on reconstructing teachers’ professional paradigms and strengthening institutional support systems rather than relying solely on administrative adjustments.

This study examines the value-based leadership practices of primary school principals in Wenzhou, China, within a cultural and policy context that increasingly emphasizes moral education and ethical governance. Drawing on qualitative case studies of six high-performing public schools, the research explores how principals internalize, enact and negotiate core values in their everyday leadership. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and institutional documents, and analysed using an inductive thematic approach. The findings reveal five interrelated themes: the influence of personal and cultural values, the integration of values into school routines, navigating value conflicts, the impact of values on school development, and the constraints imposed by institutional structures. Principals demonstrated a deep sense of moral purpose, shaped by Confucian traditions and contemporary expectations, and enacted leadership as a relational, emotionally infused and context-responsive practice. Rather than implementing fixed moral codes, they continuously negotiated values in dialogue with staff, policy demands and community norms. The study contributes to the literature by offering an empirically grounded understanding of value-based leadership as situated moral work. It highlights the need for leadership development programs that support ethical reflexivity, emotional resilience and localized interpretations of values in complex school environments.

ABSTRACT The integration of values in education is a globally recognised practice, with evidence of values being embedded into curricula. A post-primary curriculum, Identity, Multi-Beliefs, and Values Education (IMBVE), was developed for publicly managed schools in the Republic of Ireland as the curricular expression of sectoral values, as outlined in the Patrons’ Framework on Ethos. The curriculum aligns with the ethos of these schools and the national lower post-primary curriculum. IMBVE was piloted in 44 schools during the 2023–2024 academic year. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with principals (n = 5) and teachers (n = 11) from six pilot schools, framed by the research question: How did principals and teachers experience the enactment of the IMBVE curriculum within their school contexts? Reflexive thematic analysis identified two interconnected themes – The Evolving Ethos of Publicly Managed Schools and Perceptions of Religious Education (RE). The findings suggest that IMBVE is viewed as more inclusive, a ‘better fit’ and an ‘easier sell’ than RE in publicly managed schools. Taken together, the findings highlight that curriculum enactment is inherently context dependent, shaped not only by school ethos but also by historical and cultural legacies that influence how IMBVE and RE are perceived.

ABSTRACT In the first of two Target Articles for the current Special Issue on Epiphanies and Moral Education, Kristján Kristjánsson contrasts fast and epiphanic with slow and incremental approaches to moral growth, argues for the value of the former, and points out various obstacles to its realization. In this second Target Article, I argue that these obstacles can be overcome through a capacious understanding of epiphany and by means of the Structured Wholeness Theory of Human Flourishing, which focuses on a healthy integration of epiphanic and non-epiphanic (mundane) experience. I then introduce Integrative Character Education, a new field of inquiry and practice that is based on the Structured Wholeness Theory and thus emphasizes the moral growth that can come from valuing epiphany, mundanity, and their integration. Finally, I point out the importance of scaffolding for autonomy in character education and recommend next steps for the future development of Integrative Character Education.

ABSTRACT This study explores whether explicit perspective-taking instruction enhances moral sensitivity among biomedical students. Using an adapted version of the Test of Ethical Sensitivity in Science Plus (TESSplus) we analyzed student reflections on ethically complex scenarios, collected across three instructional conditions. Our adapted moral sensitivity scoring guide emphasizes recognition and articulation of moral values, and we introduce a complementary framework to assess perspective-taking. Quantitative results showed that our distinct perspective-taking instructions did not significantly influence moral sensitivity scores. However, regardless of instruction, students who more frequently considered perspectives received moderately higher moral sensitivity scores. Qualitative analysis revealed distinct reflection patterns and four relevant skills for improving moral sensitivity: actively distinguishing moral from non-moral values and factual information, articulating moral concerns clearly, recognizing conflicting values, and adopting others’ perspectives to identify relevant moral considerations from their viewpoint. These findings offer practical guidance for ethics education aimed at fostering moral sensitivity.

The Formation of Active Citizenship Among High School Students: A Theoretical, Pedagogical, and Empirical Analysis within the Context of Moral Education and Social Development

ABSTRACT Scholars have increasingly argued that epiphanies should play a central role in the moral education of young people. In one of the target articles of this special issue, James Pawelski concurs with this general sentiment, though he cautions against overemphasizing epiphany and disregarding ‘mundanity’ in moral education, i.e., habit formation and moral betterment in everyday experience. In this paper, we argue that separating epiphany and mundanity into two domains of experience, while conceptually appropriate, runs the risk of overlooking how epiphanies transform mundanity itself. Epiphanies possess a unique power to shift our perspective on mundane routines and learning tasks, revealing them to be much more interesting, significant and full of value than we thought them to be. We call the capacity to recognize the deeper value residing in mundane life the ‘epiphanic frame of mind,’ and make the case that cultivating it constitutes a core aim of moral education.

The cultivation of interpersonal communicative skills represents one of the pivotal objectives within contemporary pedagogical paradigms. This research developed, tested, and evaluated three extracurricular education programs aimed at developing communicative action skills in Sunday school students against the landscape of integrated secular and religious education. The empirical base included 302 students aged 8 to 16 years (M = 11.80; SD = 2.41). They were distributed into age groups: 8–10 years (n = 104; M = 9.1; SD = 0.6), 11–13 years (n = 118; M = 12.0; SD = 0.8), and 14–16 years (n = 80; M = 15.0; SD = 0.8). The experiment also featured 74 Sunday school teachers (M = 41.2; SD = 7.1), of whom 13 were clergy (M = 42.5; SD = 6.8). The methodology involved questionnaires, observation, semi-structured interviews, content analysis of essays, and expert assessment of group interaction. Three extracurricular programs were implemented by age groups. They exploited project forms, role-playing games, and academic events, as well as such digital platforms as Moodle, Sferum, and Nextcloud. The participants demonstrated a high level of communicative actions, which increased from 14.8% to 31.7%. The proportion of students with poorly developed communicative skills decreased from 58.0% to 22.5%. The students also improved their speech activity and empathy. While clarifying the terminology related to communicative skills, competences, and actions, the authors developed a diagnostic system of criteria and indicators adapted to the conditions of extracurricular religious education. The programs can be realized in Sunday schools as a tool for the targeted formation of communicative skills.

Background and purpose Traditional martial arts are increasingly recognized as powerful instruments for moral and character education. In Indonesia, Langga a traditional martial art from Gorontalo embodies core virtues such as discipline, respect, perseverance, humility, and spirituality, reflecting a strong ethnopedagogical foundation. However, empirical synthesis of its educational impact remains limited. This study aims to systematically analyze the influence of Langga martial arts values on character education by integrating global and local evidence through a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis approach. Material and methods Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the study identified 256 initial records from major academic databases, of which 25 met the inclusion criteria. Seventeen studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and eight in the meta-analysis, representing approximately 3,000 participants across various martial arts contexts. Data extraction and quality assessment followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist to ensure methodological rigor. Quantitative data were analyzed using a random-effects model with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software, while qualitative findings were synthesized thematically. Results The meta-analysis yielded a moderate overall effect size (Hedges’ g = 0.46, 95% CI [0.32–0.59], p < 0.001) indicating that martial arts values significantly enhance moral and social character development. Subgroup analysis revealed that traditional Indonesian martial arts, including Langga and Pencak Silat, demonstrated higher effects (g = 0.53) compared to modern Asian (g = 0.44) and mixed martial arts (g = 0.38). The results were robust, with moderate heterogeneity (I² = 62%) and no publication bias (Egger’s p = 0.21). Conclusions The findings affirm that Langga functions as a culturally grounded pedagogical model that harmonizes physical discipline with moral cultivation, supporting Lickona’s tripartite framework of moral knowing, feeling, and action. Integrating Langga into educational practice enriches character education curricula and strengthens cultural identity.