The Tahfidz-Embedded School System (TESS): A Multi-Case Study of Value-Based Qur’anic Curriculum Management in Islamic Boarding Schools

Ahmad Mubarok; Agus Maimun; Samsul Hady; Hufron Hufron

doi:10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9591

The Tahfidz-Embedded School System (TESS): A Multi-Case Study of Value-Based Qur’anic Curriculum Management in Islamic Boarding Schools

Ahmad Mubarok, Agus Maimun, Samsul Hady, Hufron Hufron

Abstract

Tahfidz-based secondary schools in pesantren contexts often face managerial fragmentation between the national curriculum and Qur’anic memorization programs. This study examines how formal curricula and Tahfidz al-Qur’an education are institutionally managed and integrated in pesantren-based secondary schools.A qualitative multi-case study was conducted at SMA Unggulan Harapan Ummat Mojokerto and MA Islam Terpadu Darul Fikri Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. The sites were selected using a maximum variation strategy to compare school-dominant and pesantren-centered governance models. Data were collected over six months through 28 semi-structured interviews with 27 participants, participant observation, and document analysis. Cross-case thematic analysis was conducted through open, axial, and selective coding, supported by NVivo 12. Trustworthiness was ensured through triangulation, member checking, intercoder reliability, peer debriefing, audit trails, and reflexive documentation.The findings reveal two interconnected integration pathways. The adaptive–operational pathway emphasizes schedule synchronization, differentiated memorization tracks, teacher coordination, supervision, and performance monitoring. The normative–epistemological pathway embeds Qur’anic values, ta’dib, spiritual formation, and institutional vision into curriculum objectives, implementation, and evaluation. These pathways differ according to leadership orientation and governance structure.The study formulates the Tahfidz-Embedded School System (TESS), a value-based curriculum management model that positions Qur’anic memorization as the organizing core of planning, organization, implementation, supervision, and evaluation. TESS contributes to Islamic education management by reconceptualizing curriculum integration as a managerial and epistemological system rather than merely instructional coordination.

Keywords

educational management; Islamic curriculum integration; value-based education; school leadership

References

Abdul Fadhil, Permata, R., Ma’wah Salsabila, Taftazani Ulya Fauzan, & Marseli Nurul Alifya. (2025). An Analysis of Azyumardi Azra’s Thought on Islamic Identity in the Era of Globalization. Hayula: Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Islamic Studies, 9(2), 281–298. https://doi.org/10.21009/hayula.009.02.07

Ahmed, K. S. (2024). The pillars of trustworthiness in qualitative research. Journal of Medicine , Surgery , and Public Health, 2(January), 0–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2024.100051

Akib, E. (2020). Study on implementation of integrated curriculum in Indonesia. International Journal of Recent Educational Education (IJORE), 1(3), 59–57. https://doi.org/10.46245/ijorer.v1i1.24

Al-Attas, S. M. N. (2023). The Concept of Education in Islam: A Framework for an Islamic Philosophy of Education. (3rd ed.). Kuala Lumpur: Qadeem Press,.

Anshori, M. M., Arif, M. N., & Alfin, M. (2023). Curriculum Organization. JP (Jurnal Pendidikan): Teori Dan Praktik, 8(1), 46–87. https://doi.org/10.26740/jp.v8n1.p46-57

Aydın, B., Melek Unver, M., Alan, B., & Sağlam, S. (2017). JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES Combining the old and the new: Designing a curriculum based on the Taba model and the global scale of English. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(1), 304–320. Retrieved from www.jlls.org

Basri, H., & Abdullah, A. (2024). Curriculum Integration Constructs in Integrated Islamic Elementary School. Tafkir: Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Education, 5(1), 79–99. https://doi.org/10.31538/tijie.v5i1.873

Beane, J. A. (1997). Curriculum integration: Designing the core of democratic education. New York: NY: Teachers College Press.

Belay, S., Melese, S., & Seifu, A. (2022). Elevating Teachers’ Professional Capital: Effects of Teachers’ Engagement in Professional Learning and Job Satisfaction, Awi District, Ethiopia. SAGE Open, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221094592

Bush, T. (2020). Theories of educational leadership and management (5th ed.) (5th ed.). United Kingdom: SAGE Publications.

Cruickshank, V. (2018). Considering Tyler’s Curriculum Model in Health and Physical Education. Journal of Education and Educational Development, 5(1), 207. https://doi.org/10.22555/joeed.v5i1.1443

Dowden, T., Brough, C., & Fogarty-Perry, B. (2024). Student-centred curriculum integration in primary schools: nurturing democratic citizenship in Aotearoa New Zealand. Curriculum Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-024-00234-1

Drake, S. M., & Burns, R. C. (2004). Meeting Standards Through Integrated Curriculum. USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Drake, S. M., & Reid, J. L. (2018). Integrated Curriculum as an Effective Way to Teach 21st Century Capabilities. Asia Pacific Journal of Educational Research (APJER), 1(1), 31–50. https://doi.org/10.30777/apjer.2018.1.1.03

Drake, S., & Reid, J. (2018). Integrated Curriculum as an Effective Way to Teach 21st Century Capabilities. Asia Pacific Journal of Educational Research, 1(1), 31–50. https://doi.org/10.30777/apjer.2018.1.1.03

Dulay, S., & Karadağ, E. (2017). The Factors Effecting Student Achievement: Meta-Analysis of Empirical Studies. Springer International Publishing, (May 2017), 1–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56083-0

Faqih, N. (2020). Integrasi Program Tahfidz dengan Sekolah Formal di Pondok Pesantren Anak. Al-TA’DIB: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Kependidikan, 13(2), 92. https://doi.org/10.31332/atdbwv13i2.1134

Fullan, M. (2012). Change Forces Probing the Depths of Educational Reform (2nd ed.). London: The Palmer Press.

Glanz, J., & Hazi, H. M. (2019). Shedding Light on the Phenomenon of Supervision Traveling Incognito: A Field’s Struggles for Visibility. Journal of Educational Supervision, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.31045/jes.2.1.1

Goodlad, J. (1983). What Some Schools and Classrooms Teach. Retrieved from The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development website: https://files.ascd.org/staticfiles/ascd/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198304_goodlad2.pdf

Hajjaj, W. A. (2020). Integrasi Kurikulum: Konsep, Model dan Aplikasi. Batu: Literasi Nusantara.

Hallinger, P. (2020). Science mapping the knowledge base on educational leadership and management from the emerging regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America, 1965–2018. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(2), 209–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218822772

Hasanah, U., Marisa, H., & Mayee, A. (2025). Integration of Pesantren Curriculum , Tahfidz Curriculum and National Curriculum. IJIBS: International Journal of Islamic Boarding School, 3(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.35719/ijibs.v2i1.58

Leithwood, K., & Sun, J. (2012). The Nature and Effects of Transformational School Leadership: A Meta-Analytic Review of Unpublished Research. Educational Administration Quarterly, 48(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X11436268

Lestari, W., Hermawan, A. H., & Prihantini, P. (2024). Membangun Kurikulum Yang Relevan Dan Responsif: Perspektif Dan Pendekatan Baru. Elementar : Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar, 4(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.15408/elementar.v4i1.32759

Maduerawa, M., Samae, H., & Wae-alee, I. (2025). Integration of intellectual, emotional and spiritual intelligence in the Islamic education curriculum: a holistic approach. Edusoshum : Journal of Islamic Education and Social Humanities, 5(3), 325–335. https://doi.org/10.52366/edusoshum.v5i3.150

Maimun, A. (2020). STUDI KASUS Bidang pendidikan Islam (I). Malang: UIN-Maliki Press.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2020). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook (4th ed.) (4th ed.). Los Angels: SAGE Publications.

Morgan, H. (2024). Using Triangulation and Crystallization to Make Qualitative Studies Trustworthy and Rigorous. The Qualitative Report, 29(7), 1844–1856. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6071

Mu’minin, N., Yurniati, & Perimasanti, R. D. (2023). Pembelajaran Berbasis Pengalaman Sebagai Inti Teori Konstrukturvisme John Dewey Dalam Perspektif Psikologi Pendidikan. 8(2), 635–642. https://doi.org/10.47200/jnajpm.v8i2.3218

Muhaimin, M. (2013). Rekonstruksi Pendidikan Islam;Dari Paradigma Pengembangan, Manajemen Kelembagaan, Kurikulum hingga Strategi Pembelajaran. Jakarta: Rajawali Press.

Naughton, E., Moran, R., Kharub, M., Sa, J. C., & McDermott, O. (2024). A structured model for continuous improvement methodology deployment and sustainment: A case study. Heliyon, 10(21), e40034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40034

Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2017). Curriculum: Foundations, Principles, and Issues, Global Edition (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson Higher Education & Professional Group.

Print, M. (2020). Curriculum Development and Design (2nd ed.). London: Allen & Unwin.

Sahin, A. (2013). New directions in Islamic education: Pedagogy and identity formation. Kube Publishing Ltd.

Sugiyono. (2017). Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, R & D. Bandung: CV Alfabeta.

Suri, S., & Hariyati, N. (2024). CIPP evaluation model in the educational evaluation: A literature study. Cahaya Pendidikan, 10(1), 20–30. https://doi.org/10.33373/chypend.v10i1.5950

Syafaruddin, & Amiruddin. (2017). Manajemen Kurikulum (pertama). Medan: Perdana Publishing.

Tong, P., & An, I. S. (2024). Review of studies applying Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory in international and intercultural education research. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1233925

Wahib, A. (2022). Integrasi Pendidikan Karakter Berbasis Intelectual, Emotional and Spiritual Quotient dalam Bingkai Pendidikan Islam. TADRIS: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 16(2), 479–494. https://doi.org/10.19105/tjpi.v16i2.4758

Wall, A., & Leckie, A. (2017). Curriculum Integration: An Overview. Current Issues in Middle Level Education, 22(1), 36–40.

Wathoni, L. (2018). Integrasi Pendidikan Islam dan Sains. In Fungky (Ed.), Fenomea (Vol. 9). Ponorogo: CV Uwais Inspirasi Indonesia.

Wicaksono, H. (2022). Integrasi Pesantren dan Sekolah (Kajian atas Pemikiran Abdurrahman Wahid) INTEGRASI PESANTREN DAN SEKOLAH (KAJIAN ATAS PEMIKIRAN ABDURRAHMAN WAHID). Al-Aufa: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Kajian Keislaman, 04, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.32665/alaufa.v4i1.3374

Wraga, W. G. (2017). Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction in historical context. Espacio, Tiempo y Educación, 4(2), 227–252. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.14516/ete.156

Zein, R. O., Suasti, Y., & Ernawati, E. (2022). Education Quality Improvement Through the Development of Hilda Taba’s Curriculum. International Journal of Educational Dynamics, 3(2), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.24036/ijeds.v3i2.352

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9591