Journal of Education and Teaching (JET)

Soft Skills Development in Indonesian Islamic Higher Education: Institutional Practices and the SSDIHE Model for Society 5.0

2026-01-14T14:23:20+07:00

This study examines how leaders and lecturers at Islamic Higher Education Institutions in Indonesia conceptualize, implement, and evaluate soft skills development for students, with particular attention to its relevance in the Society 5.0 era. Employing a descriptive qualitative design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with institutional leaders and lecturers from thirteen PTKI representing diverse geographical and organizational contexts. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns, strategic orientations, and institutional challenges. The findings indicate that soft skills development in PTKI is not treated as an auxiliary component of higher education, but as an integral dimension of Islamic educational objectives aimed at producing holistic graduates. Core soft skills emphasized across institutions include effective communication, teamwork, leadership, critical and reflective thinking, time management, and ethical integrity, all of which are framed within Islamic moral and spiritual values. The study further reveals that effective soft skills development relies on systematic curricular integration, experiential and project-based learning, participation in student organizations, and the strategic use of digital technologies. However, institutional constraints such as limited assessment instruments, uneven lecturer capacity, and the absence of standardized implementation frameworks remain significant challenges.

Exploring the Role of Change Management and Learning Communities in Enhancing Teacher Professionalism: A Mixed-Methods Study

2025-12-21T20:16:38+07:00

Educational reform literature debates whether teacher professionalism is primarily driven by top–down change management or by collaborative professional culture within schools. While change initiatives often focus on structural and managerial reforms, their impact on teachers’ professional growth remains inconsistent without strong collective learning mechanisms. Addressing this theoretical tension, this study investigates how learning communities mediate the relationship between change management and teacher professionalism. Using a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design, data were collected from 220 senior high school teachers and nine key informants. Structural analysis using PLS-SEM reveals that change management strongly predicts learning communities (β = 0.903; p < 0.001), yet its direct effect on teacher professionalism is comparatively modest (β = 0.184; p = 0.023). In contrast, learning communities exert a dominant direct influence on professionalism (β = 0.737; p < 0.001) and serve as the primary transmission mechanism of managerial reform (β = 0.665; p < 0.001), indicating that the majority of reform impact operates through collaborative professional culture rather than direct managerial intervention. Qualitative findings reinforce this interpretation by showing that participatory leadership, dialogic vision-building, and sustained reflective collaboration transform structural change into professional commitment and practice.

Spoken Grammar in AI-Mediated Peer Interaction: A Corpus-Based Study of Student Dialogues

2026-01-05T04:28:56+07:00

This study examines the emergence and interactional functions of spoken grammar features in AI-mediated peer interactions, using a corpus-based discourse analytic approach among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. While artificial intelligence is being integrated more deeply within pedagogical contexts, existing studies have paid limited attention to how AI-mediated peer interactions shape learners’ authentic spoken grammar, particularly in naturally occurring collaborative dialogues among EFL students. Twenty EFL students engaged in AI-mediated peer dialogues, producing a learner corpus of spoken interaction derived from chat-based and video-conferenced communication. Data consisted of transcribed peer dialogues, field notes, and follow-up interviews, which were analyzed using qualitative corpus-based discourse analysis. The analysis showed context-appropriate, sustained spoken interaction and core spoken grammar features, including discourse markers (e.g., well, you know), ellipsis, heads and tails, and lexical bundles. These features served practical purposes of turn-taking, elaboration, mitigation, and even emphasis. Contrary to concerns that AI mediation might constrain spontaneous language use, the findings indicate that AI-supported peer interaction facilitated relatively natural and expressive spoken interaction within the study context. Students reported feeling greater relaxation and expressiveness during AI-mediated tasks, suggesting that peer interactions within digital settings foster authentic communicative competence.

Student Well-Being in Cross-Cultural Education: Psychological Dimensions and a Network Analysis of Indonesian Students in China

2026-04-07T17:37:31+07:00

The purpose of this study was to analyze the level of psychological well-being among Indonesian diaspora students in China and to identify the roles of betweenness, closeness, and strength among well-being dimensions through a network analysis approach. The study methodology employed a quantitative approach using a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected through questionnaires measuring five dimensions of psychological well-being and analyzed using descriptive statistics and network analysis. The findings revealed that the positive psychological well-being of Indonesian diaspora students was categorized as very high, as indicated by strong learning enthusiasm and adaptability in cross-cultural environments. The dimensions of motivation and engagement occupied central positions as the main connectors within the well-being network, while satisfaction and happiness contributed to maintaining psychological well-being stability, whereas other dimensions demonstrated more limited or transitional contributions. The implications of this study highlight the importance of strengthening motivation, engagement, and social support in fostering sustainable well-being among diaspora students. Therefore, diaspora student communities and educational institutions abroad should develop programs that encourage active student engagement.

Does the Principal’s Digital Planning Capacity Play a Role in Achieving Effective Schools?

2026-04-05T16:55:10+07:00

This study examines the digital planning capabilities of school principals, the use of digital infrastructure, the Teachers’ Acceptance of Digital Aspects, the Principals’ Courage to Take Risks, and their impact on school effectiveness in West Java. The research method used is an associative quantitative approach and the type of research used is an explanatory survey, namely a survey that aims to explain the relationship between variables. The study involved 177 school principals, the study involved school principals at various levels of education (elementary, junior high, senior high, and vocational high schools). Respondents came from various regions in West Java, with respondents predominantly from Sumedang, Purwakarta, Bogor Regency, and the surrounding areas. The results showed that the model used was valid, reliable, free from multicollinearity, had strong predictive power, and fit the data. School effectiveness was positively and significantly influenced by the Principal's digital planning capability, teacher acceptance of digital aspects, and Principals’ Courage to Take Risks. The use of digital infrastructure had a positive but insignificant effect. The model was able to explain 60.1% of the variation in school effectiveness.

Trends in Research on Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education (1985-2025): A bibliometric analysis

2026-02-06T14:56:39+07:00

The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought about significant changes to the higher education ecosystem and spurred growing academic interest in its application. This study aims to map the development, trends, and research areas of Artificial Intelligence in higher education institutions during the period 1985–2025 using a bibliometric analysis approach. Data were obtained from the Scopus database, comprising a total of 1,807 articles meeting the inclusion criteria based on the PRISMA guidelines. The analysis was conducted using VOSviewer software to identify publication trends, country and institutional productivity, the most influential articles, dominant disciplines, and frequently researched keyword networks. The results indicate a significant increase in the number of publications since 2019, peaking in 2025. The social sciences and computer science are the main contributors, with the research focus shifting from the technical implementation of AI to ethical issues, academic integrity, and generative AI. China and the United States dominate research productivity, whilst developing countries such as Indonesia are beginning to show increasing contributions. Keyword network analysis identifies six main clusters of AI research in higher education. The research contributions provide a comprehensive overview of the direction of AI research development and identify research gaps for future interdisciplinary studies.

Decolonising the Curriculum: Perspectives of Indonesian Academics with Overseas Qualifications

2026-01-09T06:45:39+07:00

This study explores how Indonesian academics with overseas educational backgrounds interpret and enact curriculum decolonisation in higher education. Although decolonisation has gained increasing attention globally, it is often reduced to symbolic inclusion rather than substantive epistemic transformation. Using a qualitative design, data were collected through an online open-ended questionnaire involving ten Indonesian lecturers who completed postgraduate studies abroad. Thematic analysis generated four interconnected themes: recognising the colonial legacy embedded in university curricula, pursuing epistemic justice through the inclusion of local knowledge systems, negotiating transnational positionalities shaped by both global and local academic experiences, and engaging in the ongoing process of decolonising the self. The findings suggest that participants viewed curriculum decolonisation not as the rejection of Western knowledge but as a critical effort to create more equitable and contextually relevant knowledge practices. However, their efforts were frequently constrained by institutional pressures associated with internationalisation, publication metrics, and global ranking systems that continue to privilege Eurocentric epistemologies. The study concludes that meaningful curriculum decolonisation in Indonesia requires both individual reflexivity and broader structural transformation to support epistemic plurality within higher education.

Developing Contextual Android-Based Thermodynamics Learning Media Integrating Local Coffee Drying Practices: An MDLC Approach

2025-11-26T17:01:50+07:00

This study aims to develop Android-based physics learning media on Thermodynamics material by raising the local context in the form of coffee drying process in Bondowoso Regency. The model used in the development of this media is Multimedia Development Life Cycle (MDLC) which consists of six stages, namely concept, design, material collecting, assembly, testing, and distribution. The media was designed using Android Studio, Articulate Storyline, Scratch, and Canva software, with the integration of visual, audio, animation, and interactive video elements to create interesting and contextualized learning. The design process is based on the results of field observations to obtain real data related to the stages of coffee processing, especially the drying process. The results of validation by expert validation and material validation showed an average media feasibility of 83.26%, which is included in the “very suitable” category. Thus, the learning media developed is declared suitable to be used as an alternative support for physics learning based on local wisdom, and has the potential to improve concept understanding in a more meaningful way.

A Quasi-Experimental Study on Science Philosophy-Based Biology Teaching: Enhancing Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Toward Biodiversity Conservation

2025-11-03T14:40:38+07:00

This study aims to explore the impact of integrating the philosophy of science into biology teaching on students' awareness of biodiversity and the conservation of Mentawai medicinal plants. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving two groups: an experimental group (philosophy of science-based teaching) and a control group (conventional teaching). Data were collected using questionnaires that measured students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward biodiversity. The analysis revealed that the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements across all indicators compared to the control group. Statistically, the experimental teaching method yielded large effect sizes for environmental knowledge (Cohen's d = 0.80), environmental attitudes (Cohen's d = 0.73), and environmental behaviors (Cohen's d = 1.03), with a p-value < 0.05. Consequently, teaching based on the philosophy of science proved significantly more effective in enhancing students' awareness of biodiversity and the conservation of Mentawai medicinal plants. Based on these findings, integrating the philosophy of science into the biology curriculum is recommended to strengthen students' environmental awareness and conservation efforts for local medicinal plants, thereby contributing positively to a more holistic and sustainable education.

What Drives Effective Teaching in Blended Learning? Evidence from Core Teaching Practices in Vietnamese Higher Education

2026-05-10T17:29:40+07:00

Blended learning has become an important mode of instruction in higher education, yet the teaching practices that most strongly shape overall teaching effectiveness in blended learning remain insufficiently understood. This study examines which dimensions of lecturer-reported teaching practices significantly predict overall teaching effectiveness in blended learning in Vietnamese higher education. Survey data were collected from 338 lecturers across four universities in Vietnam. The study investigated six dimensions of teaching practice: teaching objectives, teaching content, teaching methods, technology tools, instructional formats, and assessment practices. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression were employed. Most scales demonstrated acceptable to excellent internal consistency. The regression model was statistically significant and explained 66.9% of the variance in overall teaching effectiveness in blended learning. Assessment practices and teaching objectives emerged as the strongest predictors, followed by teaching content and teaching methods. In contrast, technology tools and instructional formats were not significant predictors in the full model. The findings suggest that overall teaching effectiveness in blended learning depends more on pedagogical design than on technology use alone.

Investigating Teachers' Readiness for Revolutionizing Education with Artificial Intelligence: Private School Teachers as an Example

2026-03-26T10:07:42+07:00

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education, yet empirical research on educators' readiness to develop in regions such as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) remains scarce. To address this gap, this quantitative cross-sectional study investigates private school teachers’ readiness to integrate AI by synthesizing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Teacher Self-Efficacy (TSE) frameworks. Data was collected via a purposive sample of KRI teachers (N=107). Readiness was measured across three dimensions: knowledge, practicality, and ethics. Construct validity was established using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), followed by multiple linear regression. Results revealed that while teachers possess high conceptual AI knowledge, they exhibit significant hesitation toward practical, high-stakes implementation. Crucially, the inferential analysis yielded a novel finding: theoretical pedagogical knowledge (= 0.506, < .001), rather than practical technical self-efficacy, significantly predicts teachers' ethical readiness. This study makes a vital contribution to the literature by demonstrating that, to overcome ethical implementation barriers in developing educational contexts, institutional policy must pivot from providing basic technical exposure to delivering rigorous, conceptual AI pedagogical training.

Exploring Parental Involvement in Students’ Learning: A Mixed-Methods Approach from Students’ Perspectives

2026-03-22T07:37:31+07:00

This study explores parental involvement in supporting students’ learning processes using a mixed-methods approach. The population comprised 645 students of SMP Al Ma’soem, with 247 students selected as the sample using Slovin’s formula at a 5% margin of error. The sample was proportionally distributed based on grade level and gender. Quantitative data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire, while qualitative data were obtained via semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data, and thematic analysis was applied to qualitative findings. The results show that parental involvement is generally categorized as high to very high. Among the measured indicators, motivation and emotional support received the highest mean scores. Qualitative findings further indicate that students perceive parental involvement as attention, moral encouragement, and supervision that positively influence their motivation, discipline, and overall learning engagement. However, excessive parental control may generate pressure and negatively affect students’ learning experiences. These findings underscore the importance of balanced, supportive, and communicative parental involvement. Schools are encouraged to strengthen partnerships with parents to foster a conducive and sustainable learning environment.

Enhancing Indonesian Vocabulary Learning through Index Card Match Media: Insights from a Lower Elementary Classroom Case Study

2026-02-06T16:28:18+07:00

This study investigates the effectiveness of Index Card Match (ICM) media in enhancing Indonesian vocabulary achievement by lower elementary school students. An exploratory qualitative case study design was employed. Data were collected through triangulation, including analysis of instructional documents, classroom observations, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 24 purposively selected participants. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis supported by NVivo version 14. The findings shows that the implementation of ICM across three instructional stages generated several significant outcomes, including improved vocabulary comprehension, identification of conceptual errors and corresponding follow-up actions, comparative analysis of group performance, students’ cognitive development, and the creation of meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences. Although initial unfamiliarity with the media was observed, it gradually gave rise to students’ curiosity and enthusiasm, fostering active and collaborative classroom interactions and highlighting the teacher’s role in effective classroom management. This study offers a more comprehensive theoretical contribution than previous research by holistically capturing all stages of ICM utilization, rather than focusing solely on partial or quantitative learning outcomes. We support the adaptability of ICM for vocabulary development across diverse basic education contexts worldwide. Further research employing a quasi-experimental design is recommended to empirically test and strengthen these findings.