<![CDATA[PAI in senior high schools faces a structural gap between Merdeka Curriculum’s flexibility and pesantren’s depth in character formation. Using a mixed-method design, data were collected from 17 PAI teachers and 36 SMA students across West Java via structured questionnaires. This study aims to: (1) analyze teachers’ perceptions of Merdeka Curriculum implementation; (2) examine students’ perceptions of PAI in relation to pesantren values; (3) conduct a comparative analysis of both curricula; and (4) formulate a reconstructed PAI curriculum model integrating both approaches. Findings show that: (1) teachers hold strong conceptual understanding of Merdeka Curriculum (mean 4.41-4.53/5.00) yet struggle to translate it into spiritually meaningful practice; (2) students express consistent dissatisfaction with rote memorization cited by 14 of 36 respondents and desire interactive, value-enriched learning; (3) both curricula are seen as complementary, with pesantren excelling in character formation and Merdeka Curriculum in learner autonomy; and (4) the ideal PAI curriculum must integrate active-reflective methods (halaqah, muhasabah) within P5, structured ibadah habituation, authentic behavioral assessment, and teachers as spiritual mentors unifying knowing, doing, and being.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
