The Role of Islamic Education Teachers in Implementing the Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L) Approach

Abstract

21st century education demands a renewal of the learning paradigm that is not only oriented towards academic achievement, but also emphasizes the importance of strengthening the social and emotional aspects of students. The reality of Islamic education in Indonesia shows the gap between the idealism of Islamic values and learning practices that are still often rigid and normative, so that the integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is urgent to bridge the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of students. This study aims to: (1) analyze the role of Islamic Education teachers in integrating Islamic values into the SEAL framework; (2) identify the learning strategies used by teachers to foster students' social and emotional intelligence; and (3) formulate recommendations to strengthen the role of Islamic Education teachers in the development of Islamic values-based SEL. This study uses a qualitative approach with the type of library research, reviewing 45 scientific articles published in the range of 2018-2025 from the Google Scholar, Scopus, ERIC, and ProQuest databases. Content analysis was carried out with a coding scheme based on five SEL competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) which was integrated with Islamic values. Units of analysis are paragraphs and conceptual statements, with validation through triangulation of sources. The results of the study show that Islamic Education teachers play a strategic role not only as teachers, but also as moral and emotional role models who instill empathy, discipline, and spiritual responsibility in students. The dominant patterns of learning strategies include: exemplary (uswah hasanah) as the main strategy (78% of literature), creative methods such as storytelling (65%), class management based on Islamic values (54%), and the use of interactive media (43%). The findings also revealed that the integration of worship practices (congregational prayer, fasting, zakat) significantly strengthened students' social-emotional competence. The integration of SEL with Islamic values strengthens the holistic dimension of education which includes cognitive, affective, and spiritual aspects. To optimize the role of teachers, systemic support is needed in the form of ongoing professional training, clinical supervision, pro-integration school policies, and collaboration with families and communities.