UIN Walisongo Online, Semarang – The State Islamic University of Walisongo Semarang in its development continues to flap its wings to the international sky. One of its actions is proven by the success of a cooperation program between UIN Walisongo and the University of Vienna, Austria, which is about the holding of Indonesian-Austrian research with the title “The Yield of Islamic Religious Education – An Evaluation of The Effect of Islamic Religious Instruction in Central Java”. In addition, UIN Walisongo also managed to bring one of the Professors of Islamic Religious Education, University of Vienna, Professor Ednan Aslan, M.A. as a guest lecturer to teach postgraduate students, especially doctoral students.
To facilitate research in Indonesia, UIN Walisongo held a selection for graduate students and lecturers to select the best 3, who will later be assigned as research assistants for Prof. Ednan. The three selected names are Luthfi Rohman, M.A., a lecturer in Religious Studies and Social Studies; Moch Maola Nasty Gansehawa, M.A., a lecturer in Islamic Anthropology; and a graduate student Nurul Uzdhma Tastia, S.Ag. The task of the selected research assistants is to accompany Prof. Ednan to complete research in Indonesia, especially in Central Java, from May to the end of September 2022. In addition, they will have the opportunity to visit the University of Vienna, Austria from October to January 2023.
The research is expected to have a major impact on the development of Islamic Religious Education in Indonesia and Austria, especially for high school level. The object of the research in Central Java is focused on students in grade XII of high school, those who are in the last year of compulsory education in Indonesia, especially for SMAN located in Semarang and surrounding cities, Central Java Province. In addition, teachers of Islamic Religious Education subjects were also included. Some of the SMANs that have been visited by the research team are SMAN 2, SMAN 7, SMAN 3, SMAN 4, and others. The model of the visit that has been carried out is primary research and will be refined with main research in July.
In accordance with the title of the research, it is important how the impact of Islamic Religious Education on students’ knowledge and behavior. Referring to previous research in Austria, the locus of comparison is students who take Islamic Religious Education classes with those who choose not to take classes. Because it is different from the policy in Indonesia which requires all students to take Islamic Religious Education, while in Austria there is freedom to take Islamic Religious Education at the age of 14. So that this interesting thing becomes the object of research to find out how the differences in attitudes and behavior of the two student models. In contrast to Muslim students in Indonesia, who live in a country where the majority of the population is Muslim, their knowledge of religion is certainly sufficient because Islam in Indonesia indirectly lives in the traditions of its people. Therefore, the question is how the knowledge and behavior of students if they live in a country with a Muslim minority. In addition, it is also necessary to examine how the difference between students who only receive Islamic Religious Education in the classroom and those who also actively participate in TPQ or majlis dzikir, Islamic studies and the like.
In the end, I hope that this international research will always be given ease in solving various research puzzles in it. With the hope that whatever the result, it will be beneficial for the development of Islamic Religious Education both in Indonesia and Austria. Amen. (Public Relation)