Accelerating Digital Transformation in Islamic Education: Insights, Gaps, and Conceptual Frameworks

Muhammad Talhah Ajmain @ Jima’ain; Aries Musnandar; Siti Norhafizah Sheikh Abdul Arim; Diaya Uddeen Deab Mahmoud Alzitawi; Sutrisno

doi:10.21154/cendekia.v24i2.13668

Authors

Muhammad Talhah Ajmain @ Jima’ain Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Aries Musnandar Universitas Islam Raden Rahmat Malang
Siti Norhafizah Sheikh Abdul Arim Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Diaya Uddeen Deab Mahmoud Alzitawi Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Sutrisno Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v24i2.13668

Keywords:

digital transformation, Islamic education, digital learning, blended learning, cultural adaptation

Abstract

This article reports a systematic literature review of recent work on the digital transformation of Islamic education. Following PRISMA, we searched Scopus and Web of Science for studies published in 2023 and 2024. After screening, and after appraising quality with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), we retained 18 studies for analysis. The challenges reported in these studies are not separate problems; they are tied to one another. Unequal digital access sits at the base, shaping both the readiness of infrastructure and the capacity of teachers, and weak pedagogical training in turn limits what teachers can do with the technology they have. Whether digital learning is accepted, and whether it lasts, also depends on how well it fits cultural and religious expectations. We read these findings through digital divide theory, the TPACK framework, and diffusion of innovations theory, and from them we build a three-dimensional perspective that links structural, pedagogical, and cultural factors. The scope of the review is modest, but its results speak to policymakers, teachers, and researchers, especially in settings where digital education is still taking shape.

References

Al-Attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib. The Concept of Education in Islam: A Framework for an Islamic Philosophy of Education. Kuala Lumpur: Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), 1980.

Ali, Ramiz. “Institutional Adaption and Implementation of Blended Learning: Differences in Student Perceptions.” Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 24, no. 1 (January 2023): 37–53. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.973869.

Alkandari, Kalthoum. “Engagement, Interaction, and Socialization of Islamic Education Pre-Service Teachers through Virtual Discussions.” Sage Open 14, no. 2 (April 2024): 21582440241255844. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241255844.

Chamami, M. Rikza, Nasikhin, and Ahmad Saefudin. “Development of Augmented Reality in Islamic Religious Education as an Anti-Corruption Learning Medium.” Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan 20, no. 2 (2022): 147–63. https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v20i2.3817.

Dalimunthe, Maulana Andinata, Harikumar Pallathadka, Iskandar Muda, Dolpriya Devi Manoharmayum, Akhter Habib Shah, Natalia Alekseevna Prodanova, Mirsalim Elmirzayevich Mamarajabov, and Nermeen Singer. “Challenges of Islamic Education in the New Era of Information and Communication Technologies.” HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies 79, no. 1 (June 2023). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.8608.

Dhawan, Shweta. “Online Learning: A Panacea in the Time of COVID-19 Crisis.” Journal of Educational Technology Systems 49, no. 1 (2020): 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018.

El Said, Ghada Refaat. “How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Higher Education Learning Experience? An Empirical Investigation of Learners’ Academic Performance at a University in a Developing Country.” Advances in Human-Computer Interaction 2021 (February 2021): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6649524.

Fahrudin, Ahmad, and Muhammad Khoirul Malik. “A Pesantren Cultural Value-Based Learning Model: Integrating Islamic Values and 21st-Century Skills.” Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan 23, no. 1 (June 2025): 89–105. https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v23i1.10646.

Habibi, Akhmad, Amirul Mukminin, Lalu Nurul Yaqin, Lalu Parhanuddin, Rafiza Abdul Razak, Nik Nazli Nik Nazry, and Fathurrijal. “Mapping Instructional Barriers During COVID-19 Outbreak: Islamic Education Context.” Religions 12, no. 1 (2021): 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12010050.

Haddade, H., A. Nur, M. N. A. Rasyid, and R. A. Raviq. “Quality Assurance Strategies of Higher Education in Digital Era: An Anthropology of Education Study in Islamic Higher Education Institution.” Quality Assurance in Education 32, no. 1 (2024): 46–63.

Haddade, Hasyim, Askar Nur, Andi Achruh, Muhammad Nur Akbar Rasyid, and Andi Ibrahim. “Madrasah Management Strategies through Madrasah Reform Program: An Evidence from Indonesia.” International Journal of Educational Management 38, no. 5 (July 2024): 1289–304. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-05-2023-0236.

Hakim, Abdul, Amirudin, Abdul Kosim, and Mohd. Sobri Bin Ellias. “Psychosocial Predictors of Islamic Education Teachers’ Interest in Implementing Deep Learning: An Application of Social Cognitive Career Theory.” Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan 24, no. 1 (2026): 115–30. https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v24i1.13008.

Hermawan, Iwan, Oyoh Bariah, and Nur Aini Farida. “Artificial and Spiritual Intelligence Synergy in Madrasah Digital Transformation.” Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan 24, no. 1 (2026): 147–64. https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v24i1.13463.

Humaisi, M. Syafiq, Muhammad Thoyib, M. Nurdin, Ryan Rahmawati, and Badru Ngoh. “Pesantren-Based Transformational Leadership in the Development of International Madrasah Innovation.” Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan 22, no. 1 (July 2024): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v22i1.8781.

Ismail, Mohd Khairi, Vikniswari Vija Kumaran, and Siti Nurul Munawwarah. “COVID-19 Outbreak: An Analysis of Malaysian Household Income Class During Movement Control Orders (MCO).” Asia Proceedings of Social Sciences 7, no. 1 (January 2021): 26–29. https://doi.org/10.31580/apss.v7i1.1738.

Jusubaidi, A. Mujahidin, I. Abdullah, and A. C. Rofiq. “Students’ Critical Awareness of the Internet and Social Media Use as Resources for Islamic Learning in Indonesian Public Senior High Schools.” British Journal of Religious Education 47, no. 2 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2024.2368888.

Khamis, Sahar. “The Paradoxes of Modern Islamic Discourses and Socio-Religious Transformation in the Digital Age.” Religions 15, no. 2 (2024): 207.

Mishra, Punya, and Matthew J. Koehler. “Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge.” Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education 108, no. 6 (June 2006): 1017–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x.

Moradi, F., S. S. A. Sabe, and S. Soufi. “The Relationship Between Student Attitudes Towards Using Virtual Education and Their Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Educatio Siglo XXI 41, no. 2 (2023): 103–24.

Musthofa, M., Nasikhin, M. Junaedi, and S. Hasanah. “The Influence of Online Learning on Student Professionalism in Teacher Professional Education Programs: Studies in Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia.” Cogent Education 10, no. 2 (2023): 2276025.

Nasir, M., S. Rizal, Basri, and M. Pabbajah. “Revolutionizing Teungku Dayah Learning Model: Exploring the Transformative Impact of Technological Advancements on Islamic Education in Aceh.” Cogent Education 11, no. 1 (2024): 2335720.

Ni’mah, Zainab, and H. Rahmawati. “Educational Technology in Islamic Education: A Systematic Literature Review.” Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Educational Technology Management (ICETM 2023), 2023.

Ni’mah, Zulfatun, and Huzdaeni Rahmawati. “Educational Technology in Islamic Education: A Systematic Literature Review.” Proceedings of the 2023 6th International Conference on Educational Technology Management, November 3, 2023, 148–55. https://doi.org/10.1145/3637907.3637967.

Noor, Ahmad Yunus Mohd, and Asmilyia Mohd Mokhtar. “Covid-19 In Islamic Perspective: Overview of Its Impacts on Students in The Faculty of Islamic Studies (FPI), National University of Malaysia (UKM).” Akademika 93, no. 02 (July 2023). https://doi.org/10.17576/akad-2023-9302-16.

Nordin, Ossman, Nik Md. Saiful Azizi Nik Abdullah, Rabi’atul Athirah Muhammad Isa Omar, and Ahmad Najib Abdullah. “The Art of Quranic Memorization: A Meta-Analysis.” Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 31, no. 2 (June 2023): 787–801. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.31.2.16.

Nuruddin. “Hybrid Learning (HL) in Higher Education: The Design and Challenges.” International Journal of Instruction 17, no. 1 (2024): 97–114.

Otaya, Lian Gafar, Herson Anwar, Kasim Yahiji, and Rahmawati Rahmawati. “The Assessment of Fit Data Model Feasibility of the Teachers’ Pedagogic Competency Variables.” International Journal of Instruction 16, no. 2 (April 2023): 909–26. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2023.16248a.

Page, Matthew J., Joanne E. McKenzie, Patrick M. Bossuyt, Isabelle Boutron, Tammy C. Hoffmann, Cynthia D. Mulrow, Larissa Shamseer, et al. “The PRISMA 2020 Statement: An Updated Guideline for Reporting Systematic Reviews.” BMJ, March 29, 2021, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71.

Rogers, Everett M. Diffusion of Innovations. 5th ed. New York: Free Press, 2003.

Shamir-Inbal, T., and I. Blau. “Facilitating Emergency Remote K-12 Teaching in Computing-Enhanced Virtual Learning Environments During COVID-19 Pandemic - Blessing or Curse?” Journal of Educational Computing Research 59, no. 7 (2021): 1243–71. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633121992781.

Sholehuddin, M. S., M. Mucharomah, W. Atqia, and R. Aini. “Developing Children’s Islamic Spiritual Intelligence in the Digital Age: Indonesian Family Education Methods.” International Journal of Instruction 16, no. 1 (2023): 357–76.

Sopandi, E., S. Anwar, N. Habibah, Suhana, S. S. Manurung, N. Alia, and S. Hendrawati. “The Role of Digital Literacy and Its Relation with Performance of Madrasah Aliyah Students.” Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 104 (2023): 16–32.

Sopandi, Evi, Sumarsih Anwar, and Neneng Habibah. “The Role of Digital Literacy and Its Relation with Performance of Madrasah Aliyah Students.” Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER), no. 104 (2023): 16.

Tiarawati, Putri Vidi, Sri Nurhayati, Siti Nurul Hidayah, and Gumpanat Boriboon. “Blended Learning Approach Implementation to Improve Adults’ Tahsin Ability in the Digital Era.” Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan 21, no. 2 (2023): 180–96. https://doi.org/10.21154/cendekia.v21i2.7111.

Tuna, M. H., J. Kolb, and Z. Sejdini. “Religious Learning Environments of Austrian Muslim Youth: An Empirical Analysis of Religious Educational Processes.” Religions 14, no. 8 (2023): 1002.

Van Deursen, Alexander Jam, and Jan Agm Van Dijk. “The First-Level Digital Divide Shifts from Inequalities in Physical Access to Inequalities in Material Access.” New Media & Society 21, no. 2 (February 2019): 354–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818797082.

Zulfiani, Z., I. P. Suwarna, A. Muin, T. Mulyati, and R. A. Z. El Islami. “Developing the MathSci 21st App: Enhancing Higher-Order Thinking Skills Assessment in Mathematics and Science Education Within an Islamic Context.” International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences 10, no. 8 (2023): 19–31.