Bismillah Before Learning, but Does Islamic Value Shape the Classroom? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Ideological Tensions in ELT within an Islamic University in Indonesia
Abstract
In the rapidly evolving landscape of language education, the integration of cultural and religious values has become increasingly significant. While previous studies have explored the relationship between language, ideology, and globalisation in English language teaching, limited attention has been paid to how Islamic higher education institutions critically negotiate these ideological influences within classroom practices. This study examines the influence of Islamic values on the ideological practices of English language teaching at an Islamic university in Indonesia. Using the Critical Discourse Analysis approach developed by Fairclough (1993), this study analyses classroom interactions in English language courses. The primary data for this study came from three classroom interaction sessions, while secondary data included academic documents, such as the institution's vision and mission statements, observations, and teaching materials to reinforce the data analysis. The findings reveal that Islamic values remain marginal in both pedagogical discourse and instructional content. ELT practices tend to reproduce dominant global pedagogical norms, with limited critical engagement from an Islamic epistemological perspective. This pattern reflects a structural disconnection between institutional religious identity and enacted classroom discourse. In this case, Islamic education should not only function as an institutional setting but also appear as a discursive force capable of shaping ideological orientations in English language teaching.
Keywords: critical pedagogy; Islamic education; language ideology; faith-based institution; speaking
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