Knowledge Ecosystem in Islamic Education: Integrating Religious Values, Innovation, and Perceived institutional-level performance

Aep Tata Suryana (Department of Islamic Educational Management (MPI), Study Program, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training (FTK), Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati, Bandung)

Khazanah Pendidikan Islam
Vol. 8 No. 2 (2026): Khazanah Pendidikan Islam

Research Problem: Islamic educational institutions face challenges in translating religious values into organizational processes that foster knowledge development, innovation, and institutional performance. The relationships among religious values integration, strategic management, knowledge ecosystems, innovation, and performance remain insufficiently examined through an integrated empirical model. Research Purposes: This study examines the relationships among religious values integration, strategic management capability, knowledge ecosystem quality, innovation capability, and perceived institutional-level performance in Islamic educational institutions in West Java, Indonesia. Research Methods: A quantitative-dominant cross-sectional design with qualitative contextualization was employed. PLS-SEM was used to analyze data from 212 respondents across 24 institutions comprising Madrasah Aliyah, Madrasah Tsanawiyah, and Islamic higher education institutions. Interviews with 18 key informants and documentary evidence from 16 institutions complemented the quantitative analysis. Results and Discussion: Religious values integration and strategic management capability positively and significantly predict knowledge ecosystem quality. The knowledge ecosystem is the strongest predictor of innovation capability and also directly contributes to institutional performance. It significantly mediates the effects of religious values integration and strategic management capability on innovation capability, while innovation capability partially mediates the knowledge ecosystem–performance relationship. Qualitative findings show that religious values are strongly embedded in institutional culture, but their translation into operational knowledge management remains uneven. Research Implications and Contributions: The study develops an empirically tested knowledge ecosystem model for Islamic educational institutions, demonstrating how religious identity and strategic management can be transformed into organizational learning, innovation, and improved institutional performance.