Millennial students’ perception on the integration of Islam and science in Islamic universities

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Rizkia Suciati, Herawati Susilo, Abdul Gofur, Umie Lestari, Izza Rohman

2022 Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies Vol. 12 Issue 1 Article Cited by 11 Quartile

Abstract

This study describes students’ perception of the concept of the integration of Islam and science. The integration of religious knowledge into science learning means the elimination of the paradigm of separating science and religion. This is important because many students do not understand how to connect the scientific theories studied to their own religious beliefs. This research surveys 175 students from 4 Islamic universities in Indonesia. The respondents filled an online questionnaire containing 8 two-tiered questions based on 7 conceptual understanding indicators of the integration of Islam and science. The indicators measure students’ understanding of: (1) Science; (2) The relationship between science and religion (Islam); (3) The effect of science on religion; (4) The influence of Islamic insights on science learning; (5) The role of religion in the development/advancement of science; (6) The conflict between science and religion; (7) The differences in scientific concepts developed by Muslim and non-Muslim scientists. The result shows that the students’ perception on the relationship between Islam and science can be categorized as the perception of integration. They argue that religion has a role in the development of science, and science has a role in supporting the sustainability of life. The students also conceive that a lecturer’s Islamic insight can have an influence on the learning process, especially in Biology course. Penelitian ini mendeskripsikan persepsi mahasiswa tentang konsep integrasi Islam dan sains. Integrasi ilmu agama ke dalam pembelajaran sains bermakna menghilangkan paradigma pemisahan antara sains dengan agama. Hal ini penting karena masih banyak mahasiswa yang belum memahami bagaimana cara menghubungkan teori-teori sains yang telah dipelajari dengan keyakinan yang dimiliki. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode survei, melibatkan 175 mahasiswa dari 4 perguruan tinggi Islam di Indonesia. Responden mengisi kuesioner secara online yang berisi 8 pertanyaan berbentuk two-tier berdasarkan 7 indikator pemahaman konsep integrasi Islam dan sains. Indikator tersebut mengukur pemahaman mahasiswa tentang: (1) Sains; (2) Hubungan antara sains dan agama (Islam); (3) Pengaruh sains terhadap agama; (4) Pengaruh wawasan keislaman yang dimiliki terhadap pembelajaran sains; (5) Peran agama dalam perkembangan/kemajuan sains; (6) Konflik antara sains dengan agama; (7) Perbedaan konsep sains yang dikembangkan oleh ilmuwan muslim dan non-Muslim. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa persepsi mahasiswa tentang integrasi Islam dan sains dapat dimaknai sebagai persepsi integrasi. Mereka berpendapat bahwa agama berperan dalam perkembangan sains, dan sains memiliki peran dalam keberlangsungan kehidupan. Mahasiswa juga berpendapat bahwa wawasan keislaman dari seorang dosen berpengaruh terhadap proses pembelajaran sains, khususnya mata kuliah Biologi. © 2022

Affiliations

Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia; Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. DR. HAMKA Jakarta, Indonesia