Islamic Classroom Management as a Laboratory of Empathy and Ecological Awareness

Abstrak

This research is motivated by the need for a classroom management model that not only focuses on academic achievement but also cultivates empathy and environmental awareness. In the context of Islamic education, the classroom should serve as a living space where children learn to internalize spiritual, social, and ecological values in a holistic manner. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze how Islamic classroom management can function as a space for nurturing empathy as well as fostering ecological awareness in early childhood. This study employs a qualitative approach with a case study design. The primary data sources consist of classroom teachers and early childhood students, while the school principal serves as a secondary data source. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation, followed by data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing as analytical techniques. The findings reveal two main results. First, Islamic classroom management can serve as a space for developing empathy through activities such as sharing, collaboration, and Islamic habituation that nurture children’s social sensitivity. Second, the integration of Islamic values in learning activities encourages the emergence of children’s ecological awareness, such as caring for plants, conserving water, and maintaining environmental cleanliness. The novelty of this research lies in the concept of the Islamic classroom as an affective-ecological laboratory an approach to classroom management that combines spiritual character formation with concrete ecological practices. The study recommends that early childhood education institutions develop a Green Islamic Class program that contextually integrates Islamic values, empathy, and ecology, as well as provide teacher training for its effective implementation.