<![CDATA[Islamic Religious Education (IRE), particularly instruction on patriotism and religious moderation, continues to face challenges in fostering students’ behavioral engagement in classroom learning. Although previous studies have demonstrated the potential of gamification to enhance participation, most have relied on digital quiz platforms and have rarely incorporated local culinary culture as a contextual learning medium. This study aimed to develop and evaluate Seblak Edukasi, a gamification-based learning medium integrating local culinary culture to enhance students’ behavioral engagement in IRE. A convergent mixed-method design was employed with 35 twelfth-grade students at SMAN 1 Karas. Qualitative data were obtained through structured classroom observations, while quantitative data were analyzed descriptively by comparing students’ engagement before and after implementation. Behavioral engagement was operationalized through students’ participation in asking and answering questions, expressing opinions, engaging in discussions, and completing learning tasks. The Seblak theme was selected as a familiar local culinary heritage that provided a culturally meaningful context for exploring national identity, unity, patriotism, and religious moderation. The findings indicated positive student responses and increased active participation, from 7 students (20%) before implementation to 33 students (94%) afterward. Observations further showed greater willingness to participate in discussions, ask and answer questions voluntarily, and complete learning challenges. These findings suggest that integrating gamification with culturally relevant local culinary elements can foster engaging and contextually meaningful IRE learning experiences. However, given the single-class setting and limited implementation period, the findings should be interpreted cautiously. Further research involving larger samples and more rigorous designs is warranted.]]>
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