Religious Literacy and 21st Century Skills in Islamic Education: Perspectives and Practices in Four State Madrasahs in Karawang Indonesia

Purpose – This study examines how religious literacy is interpreted and enacted in relation to twenty-first-century skills in Indonesian Islamic senior secondary education.Design/methods/approach – A qualitative descriptive study across four state madrasahs in Karawang Regency used semi-structured interviews, nonparticipant observation, and document study. The reported participant groups comprised two school leaders, 20 Islamic religious education teachers, 200 students, and four religious community representatives. Concept-informed thematic analysis examined accounts of practice and their ethical framing.Findings – Teachers and students associated tabayyun with checking information, ethical speech with respectful classroom and digital communication, and consultation with shared responsibilities. Accounts also described creative assignments, religious routines, teacher modelling, and civic aspirations. These connections were unevenly enacted: participants reported differences in pedagogical readiness and access to equipment, internet, and training, while the findings raised questions about assessment centred on ritual compliance. The evidence documents instructional intentions, self-reported experiences, and described activities rather than independently assessed skill gains.Research Implications – Religious literacy can be understood here as a locally meaningful ethical resource for designing opportunities to practise contemporary skills. Its relationship with wider religious and worldview literacy requires explicit attention to diversity and critical interpretation. Clearer assessment, fuller methodological and ethics reporting, and further research are needed before making claims about improved skills, internalized character, or causal effects.