<![CDATA[The rapid advancement of digital transformation has significantly impacted the landscape of education, including Islamic Religious Education (PAI) at the junior high school level (SMP/MTs). Generation Z students, who currently dominate classrooms, have grown up immersed in digital technology ecosystems, demanding a paradigm shift in learning strategies. However, empirical evidence suggests that the majority of PAI teachers still rely predominantly on conventional teaching methods such as lectures and textbooks, with limited and uneven use of digital teaching media. This condition indicates a significant gap between the expected pedagogical competency standards and the actual competency possessed by PAI teachers, particularly in the integration of digital media into learning. Without accurate gap mapping, any professional development intervention risks being misdirected and ineffective. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyze the pedagogical competency gap of PAI teachers at SMP/MTs in relation to the use of digital teaching media. The study employed a mixed methods approach with a sequential explanatory design, integrating descriptive quantitative and qualitative data systematically. Research subjects were PAI teachers throughout Jember Regency, selected through stratified random sampling, with additional informants comprising school principals, PAI supervisors, and students. Data were collected through a Likert scale questionnaire, in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and document studies. Gap analysis was conducted using the Gilbert and Mager & Pipe models, while qualitative data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings reveal that the actual condition of PAI teachers' pedagogical competency falls in the moderate category (mean = 2.87), while the desired condition reaches the high category (mean = 4.31), resulting in an overall competency gap at the high level (mean = 1.44). The largest gaps were found in the dimensions of implementation (1.77), evaluation (1.75), and digital media design and development (1.68), all classified as very high. Five key factors underlying the gap were identified: limited contextual training, uneven technological infrastructure, scarcity of standardized PAI digital content, low teacher self-efficacy, and the absence of a sustainable professional support system. These findings underscore the urgent need to develop a multimedia-based interactive teaching platform for PAI that functions not merely as a digital content repository, but as a comprehensive ecosystem for the sustainable professional development of teachers]]>
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