Aswaja Lecturers’ Strategies for Developing Students with Wasathiyyah Islamic Character

Abstract

This study examines the strategies employed by Aswaja lecturers in fostering students’ Islamic wasathiyyah (moderate) character at Universitas Islam Jember (UIJ) in response to the growing challenge of religious radicalism within higher education institutions. The study is grounded in Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which positions lecturers as More Knowledgeable Others (MKO) who provide scaffolding within students’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). A qualitative case study approach was employed to explore the pedagogical practices implemented in the learning process. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis to obtain comprehensive and contextual findings. The results reveal the existence of an integrative pedagogical ecosystem that combines curricular integration, dialogic-interactive learning methods, and cultural internalization through the “Aswaja Aplikatif” program. The synergy between scaffolding strategies and applicative learning materials enables theological knowledge to be transformed into lived religious practices. Furthermore, this process develops an “intellectual filter” that strengthens students’ ideological resilience against radical narratives, intolerance, and misinformation. This study contributes an integrative-dialogical model emphasizing the transformation of knowledge into sustainable moderate behavior.