Integrating Islamic Values into Virtual Reality-Based Islamic Religious Education: A Qualitative Literature Review

Faradila Amri (Universitas Muhammadiyah Gorontalo)
Mahfud Harim (Universitas Muhammadiyah Gorontalo)
Tarmizi Abbas (The Australian National University)

International Journal of Educational Narratives
Vol. 4 No. 4 (2026)

Background. Although Virtual Reality (VR) has increasingly been applied to religious and Islamic education, existing studies remain fragmented across specific applications, technological affordances, and individual learning outcomes, without integrating pedagogical, spiritual, ethical, epistemological, teacher-guidance, and content-validation dimensions into a coherent framework for Islamic Religious Education. Purpose. This study aims to analyze the integration of Islamic values into VR-based education and develop an integrative conceptual framework for Islamic Religious Education, focusing on its pedagogical potential, forms of value internalization, and implementation challenges. Methods. This study used a qualitative literature review of 24 academic sources related to Islamic Religious Education, digital pedagogy, immersive learning, and VR in religious education. Literature selection followed a PRISMA-informed process of identification, screening, eligibility assessment, and inclusion, analyzed thematically to identify codes concerning experiential learning, value internalization, ethical and epistemological representation, teacher orchestration, and implementation conditions. Results. Findings show that VR can support the internalization of Islamic values when immersive experiences are deliberately connected to religiously valid content, pedagogical guidance, and reflective learning. Thematic synthesis generated a five-component framework: Islamic value orientation, religious content validation, immersive experience design, teacher orchestration, and reflective evaluation. VR enables students to observe, analyze, reflect on, and connect Islamic concepts with real-life contexts, though its value depends on theological integrity, ethical representation, accessibility, technological readiness, teacher competence, and institutional support. Conclusions. VR should be understood not merely as technological innovation but as a pedagogical medium aligned with Islamic epistemology, ethics, and spiritual goals. The review positions value orientation, content validation, immersive design, teacher mediation, and reflective evaluation as interconnected conditions for responsible VR integration in Islamic Religious Education.