Journal of Social Work and Science Education
Vol. 7 No. 3 (2026): Journal of Social Work and Science Education

Building Competitive Advantage in Islamic Full-Day Schools: Strategic Management Practices at SDIT Insan Harapan, Indonesia

Indra Ruyani (Universitas Islam Negeri Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia)
Ahmad Syukri (Universitas Islam Negeri Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia)
Fadhilah Fadhilah (Universitas Islam Negeri Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
04 Sep 2026

Abstract

The rapid growth of private Islamic schools in Indonesia has intensified institutional competition, requiring educational foundations to develop distinct competitive advantages. This study examines how an Islamic full-day school in Batam City formulates, implements, and evaluates strategic management practices to achieve competitive advantage against alternative educational models, particularly boarding schools. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis at SDIT Insan Harapan, a full-day school operated by the Harapan Ibu Kepri Islamic Education Foundation. The findings reveal that competitive advantage is achieved through an integrated differentiation strategy centred on the vision of “Qur’anic, Creative, and Entrepreneurial Generation (GEN Q’REN),” operationalised through: (1) integration of national and JSIT curricula; (2) systematic religious habituation; (3) flagship creative and entrepreneurial programs (Business Day, creative performances); and (4) consistent evaluation with parental involvement. The study demonstrates that full-day schools can compete effectively with boarding schools by optimising time, engaging parents systematically, and developing a distinctive institutional identity rather than simply replicating boarding school models. These findings contribute to the literature on Islamic school strategic management by providing an empirically grounded framework for differentiation strategy in full-day Islamic schools and offer practical guidance for educational foundations navigating competitive urban educational markets.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jswse

Publisher

Subject

Religion Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education Environmental Science Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

The Journal of Social Work and Science Education (JSWSE) is firmly established as an authoritative voice in the world of social work and science education with E-ISSN: 2723-6919 and P-ISSN 2746-0827. JSWSE publishes scholarly papers that focus on the social science, teaching and learning, science in ...