Islamic Religious Education Teacher Strategies under Contrasting School Facility Conditions: A Comparative Case Study in Indonesia

Abstract

Islamic Religious Education (IRE) requires teachers to connect religious knowledge with moral conduct and practical worship, yet the effectiveness of this process depends on the interaction of teacher competence, institutional support, and educational facilities. This study compared IRE guidance strategies at two private junior high schools with contrasting facility conditions in Karawang Regency, Indonesia. Using a qualitative comparative case-study design, data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis and examined through within-case and cross-case analysis. The findings show that religious guidance was more systematically implemented where trained teachers, operational planning, active facility use, and institutional collaboration were aligned. In contrast, limited worship and counselling spaces constrained the range and continuity of practical religious guidance and increased reliance on classroom explanation and simulation. However, the findings also demonstrate that facilities alone did not determine educational outcomes; their value depended on teacher preparation, leadership support, school culture, and program integration. The study’s main contribution is to conceptualize facilities as enabling or constraining components within a broader system of religious guidance, in which effective IRE requires alignment among teacher competence, institutional support, measurable planning, active facility use, and continuous evaluation.