IJORER : International Journal of Recent Educational Research
Articles in Press

Embodied Knowledge in NU Pesantren: Islamic Arts, Traditional Pedagogy, and Cultural Transmission in Tasikmalaya




Article Info

Publish Date
01 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study examines zapin, hadroh, and marawis as forms of embodied pedagogy within Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) pesantren in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, based on a multi-sited ethnographic investigation involving 247 santri aged 12–24. Data were generated through 156 hours of participant observation, 42 video-documented rehearsal and performance sessions, and 18 semi-structured interviews with key pedagogical actors. Analysis identified five interconnected mechanisms shaping moral learning: somatic inscription through repetitive bodily practice, relational ensemble-based pedagogy, traditionalist epistemology as a generative constraint, gender-differentiated modes of ethical embodiment, and the longitudinal integration of learned dispositions into everyday behavior. Engagement in Islamic arts was associated with substantial gains in motor competence (70-126%), higher moral development among art-intensive cohorts (d = 0.78, p < 0.012), and sustained reductions in behavioral infractions over 24 months (62–89%, p < 0.001). The findings demonstrate that embodied artistic practice enables Islamic moral knowledge to be internalized as durable bodily habit rather than abstract instruction.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ijorer

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Other

Description

IJORER is an international journal (double-blind peer review) that focuses on Recent Educational Research. The journal concerns in Recent Educational Research accepts articles in the field of Education: instruction, learning, teaching, curriculum development, learning environments, teacher ...