Integrating Behaviorism into Hidden Curriculum of Islamic Education: Constructing an Anti-Hedonistic Profile of Khalifah Allah
Abstract
Contemporary Islamic education faces severe challenges due to the rise of hedonism and the culture of flexing, which risk reducing humans to mere spiritual and social constructs devoid of deeper meaning. This condition demands a strengthened Islamic education paradigm oriented toward character building and students' transcendental awareness. This study aims to formulate a concept for strengthening the profile of Khalifah Allah that is resilient and anti-hedonistic by integrating B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning and Albert Bandura’s social learning theory into the hidden curriculum of Islamic education. Utilizing a literature review method with a descriptive-analytical approach, the study shows that Skinner’s positive reinforcement can be applied through the habituation of ritual and professional discipline as a means to control materialistic orientations. Meanwhile, Bandura's social learning theory is implemented through educators' modeling of moral integrity, social responsibility, and a modest lifestyle. The integration of both theories is holistically applied across five dimensions of Islamic education: theology, morality, intellect, physical development, and aesthetics. This synthesis yields a Khalifah Allah profile that balances rationality and spirituality, maintains professional competence, and possesses moral resilience against hedonistic cultures by framing all activities as forms of social and professional worship.
References
Adıgüzel, T., Aşık, G., Bulut, M. A., Kaya, M. H., & Özel, S. (2023). Teaching self-regulation through role modeling in K-12. Frontiers in Education, 8, Article 1105466. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1105466
Ahmed, H. (2025). The impact of guilt and religious reminders on worship delays: A cognitive dissonance study. Journal of Creative Writing, 9(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.70771/jocw.159
Alamin, N. S., Rahmawati, Z. S., Maha, M. B., Nisa, S., & Zalzuli, A. (2024). Hidden curriculum in students’ activities at modern Islamic boarding school: Phenomenology study at Darussalam Gontor Islamic Boarding School, Ponorogo, East Java. MIQOT: Jurnal Ilmu-ilmu Keislaman, 48(1), 57–76. https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v48i1.1134
Al-Razi, M. F., Madjid, A., & Khalil, A. H. M. I. (2024). Reconstructing the Islamic education paradigm in Indonesia. EDUKASI: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Agama dan Keagamaan, 22(2), 294–310. https://doi.org/10.32729/edukasi.v22i2.1918
Badri, L. S. S., & Malik, A. A. (2024). Implementation of Islamic education values in building students’ religious character through an affective approach based on the Qur’an. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 217–233. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i1.7260
Carlo, G., Samper, P., Malonda, E., Mestre, A. L., Tur‐Porcar, A. M., & Mestre, M. V. (2022). Longitudinal paths between parents’ use of rewards and young adolescents’ moral traits and prosocial behaviors. Journal of Adolescence, 94(8), 1096–1107. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12086
Cotofan, M. (2021). Learning from praise: Evidence from a field experiment with teachers. Journal of Public Economics, 204, Article 104540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104540
Dozier, C. L., Foley, E. A., Goddard, K. S., & Jess, R. L. (2020). Reinforcement. Dalam S. Hupp & J. Jewell (Ed.), The encyclopedia of child and adolescent development (ed. ke-1, hlm. 1–10). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119171492.wecad062
Hady, M. S., Aziz, R., Nuqul, F. L., Mahpur, M., Nashori, F., & Alribdi, N. I. (2025). Strategies for fostering prosocial behavior: A mixed methods study in Indonesian Islamic schools. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 22(1), 140–156. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.10668
Junaidi, J., Afrinaldi, A., Artika, F. S., Al-Momani, M. O., & Hulwana, H. (2025). Islamic moderatism in curriculum development of Islamic educational institutions in Aceh. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 22(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.8313
Karaca, M., Bektaş, O., & Eroğlu, S. (2024). The relationship between high school students' perceptions of role modeling and self-regulation for science. Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science, 17(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.7160/eriesj.2024.170101
Lubis, R. M., & Sazali, H. (2023). Analysis of the flexing phenomenon on social media from an Islamic perspective. KOMUNIKA: Jurnal Dakwah dan Komunikasi, 17(1), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.24090/komunika.v17i1.7888
Maemonah, N. (2026). Reward and punishment in early childhood Islamic education: An integrative review towards an affirmative-negotiative model of Islamic habitus. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 23(1), 64–85. https://doi.org/10.14421/d2z18t30
Mangal, J. P., Clark, A. E., & Hildenbrand, J. D. (2024). Social learning theory and the health professions educator: Implications for continued professional development. Dalam H. P. Filipe & M. V. Lopez (Ed.), Advances in medical education, research, and ethics (hlm. 77–98). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6756-5.ch004
Masturin, M., Ritonga, M. R., & Amaroh, S. (2022). Tawhid-based green learning in Islamic higher education: An Insan Kamil character building. QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies), 10(1), 215–248. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v10i1.14124
Murniati, A. (2025). The construction of Islamic religious education curriculum based on desecularistic-implementative approach: Study of holistic-integrative approach curriculum development in Islamic higher institutions in Indonesia. Progresiva: Jurnal Pemikiran dan Pendidikan Islam, 14(1), 63–80. https://doi.org/10.22219/progresiva.v14i01.38200
Murti, S., & Heryanto, H. (2022). Program shalat subuh berjamaah dan kesadaran beragama. Ascarya: Journal of Islamic Science, Culture, and Social Studies, 2(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.53754/iscs.v2i1.178
Othman, M. K. H. (2026). When the teacher becomes the curriculum: Relational, institutional, and ecological determinants of Islamic character formation in an Indonesian madrasah tsanawiyah. International Journal of Special Education, 41(7s), 40–60. https://www.internationalsped.com/index.php/ijse/article/view/3181
Palmer, D. C. (2010). Operant conditioning. Dalam I. B. Weiner & W. E. Craighead (Ed.), The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology (ed. ke-1, hlm. 1–2). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470479216.corpsy0623
Putra, P., Ilias, M. F., Hartono, R., Burhanuddin, B., Saputra, N., & Barsihanor, B. (2025). Digital literacy as a transformative framework for character education: A case study in madrasah ibtidaiyah. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v9i1.429
Rachman, A., Verawati, I., & Rusandi, M. A. (2023). Understanding ‘flexing’: The impact on mental health and public trust. Journal of Public Health, 45(4), e806–e807. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdad088
Raissi Ahvan, Y. (2021). Effectiveness of the hidden curriculum on affective attitudes of high school students toward learning. Journal of Research & Health, 11(6), 423–434. https://doi.org/10.32598/JRH.11.6.1925.1
Ribeiro, D. C., Guimarães, T. M. M., Picanço, C. R. F., Carvalho Neto, M. B. D., & Tourinho, E. Z. (2021). Efeitos de um análogo de reforçamento negativo sobre a seleção de culturantes. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, 37, Article e3728. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102.3772e3728
Rosida, I., Az Zahra, F., Tuzzahrah, F., & Azzahra, S. (2023). Flexing culture in the age of social media: From social recognition to self-satisfaction. Simulacra, 6(2), 193–208. https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v6i2.20716
Rumjaun, A., & Narod, F. (2020). Social learning theory Albert Bandura. Dalam B. Akpan & T. J. Kennedy (Ed.), Science education in theory and practice (hlm. 85–99). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43620-9_7
Saidi, S., Sulistiono, D., Subaeri, A. H., Huda, N., Zainul, M., & Haris, A. (2025). Developing a mentoring program for shaping students’ Islamic character. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(1), 195–213. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v8i1.120
Salim, N. A., Zaini, M., Wahib, A., Fauzi, I., & Asnawan, A. (2024). Fostering moderate character of santri: Effective hidden curriculum strategy in Islamic boarding schools. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(2), 357–372. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v7i2.4676
Sturges, J. W. (2020). Clinical applications of behavioral theory of personality. Dalam B. J. Carducci, C. S. Nave, & C. S. Nave (Ed.), The Wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (ed. ke-1, hlm. 19–26). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118970843.ch271
Sveučilište u Zadru, Odjel za psihologiju, & Sorić, I. (2021). Mogu li nagrade povećati intrinzičnu motivaciju za učenje? - Pregled istraživanja. Suvremena psihologija, 24(2), 127–152. https://doi.org/10.21465/2021-SP-242-01
Syarnubi, S., Mansir, F., Purnomo, M. E., Harto, K., & Hawi, A. (2021). Implementing character education in madrasah. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(1), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v7i1.8449
Wahono, M., Lestari, P., Suhardiyanto, A., & Wardhani, N. W. (2018). Implementation of local cultural values in the habituation process of character education in the school of the Semarang City. Proceedings of the Annual Civic Education Conference (ACEC 2018), 5–11. https://doi.org/10.2991/acec-18.2018.8
Zul, Z., Huda, M. N., Fuad, Z., & Abdullah, M. (2026). Integration of Islamic ethics in modern education curriculum: Challenges and opportunities-a systematic literature review. British Journal of Religious Education, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2026.2621177
Copyright (c) 2026 Fathiyyah Fakhrurrozi, Fira Nur Anisa, Abdiel Muhammad Arkananta

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The BIP is under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, according to which:
1) Authors retain copyright with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution that allows the sharing of articles published with the acknowledgment of authorship and the initial publication in this journal.
2) The authors are authorized to make additional contracts separately for distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (for example, publication in an institutional repository or as a chapter of the book), as long as there is recognition of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are authorized and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (for example, in institutional repositories or on their personal pages) at any time before or during the editorial process, as it increases the impact and reference of the published work.
