Developing Islamic Innovative Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: A Faith-Informed Framework for Holistic and Sustainable Learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70148/rise.v3i6.3Keywords:
Islamic innovative pedagogy, early childhood education, Islamic educational philosophy, SDG 4, holistic child developmentAbstract
Islamic early childhood education (ECE) lacks a sufficiently articulated pedagogical framework that connects Islamic epistemology with contemporary child-centred practice and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) priorities. This conceptual paper develops Islamic Innovative Pedagogy (IIP) to address that integration problem. Using an integrative conceptual review and framework-development synthesis, the paper brings together foundational Islamic education scholarship, recent ECE literature, and policy sources on quality, inclusion and sustainability. The synthesis is organised around tawhid, tarbiyah, ta’dib and ta‘lim and is informed by comparison with integrated Islamic education and contemporary child-centred pedagogy. IIP comprises four interrelated dimensions: Tawhidic worldview integration, holistic child development, innovative child-centred methodologies, and inclusive and sustainable learning ecosystems. Its distinctive contribution lies not in introducing these elements individually, but in configuring them as an ECE-specific architecture linking worldview, developmental aims, pedagogical practice, ecosystem conditions and SDG 4. The framework offers a theoretically informed basis for curriculum design, teacher professional learning, quality discussion and future research in Islamic ECE. As a conceptual model, however, its feasibility, effects and transferability require empirical validation across diverse ECE contexts.
References
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1980). The concept of education in Islam: A framework for an Islamic philosophy of education. Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1993). Islam and secularism. Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC.
Allee, K. A. & Mule’, T. N. (2026). Balancing development and rigor: Beliefs about priorities and threats in early childhood education among future professionals. Early Childhood Education Journal, 54, 3027–3042. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-02023-5
Alya, C., Triyuliasari, A. & Thomas, M. (2024). Islamic educational philosophy's view of humans. Jurnal Pendidikan Nusantara, 3(2), 116-126. DOI: 10.55080/jpn.v2i2.89
Asiah, N. & Desky, H. (2025). Islamic educational philosophy and its relevance to global educational discourse. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 30(5), 47-52. DOI: 10.9790/0837-3005024752
Azzam, M., Hafidz, A., Irfansyah, M., Pratiwi, S., Ilhami, M., Sumayyah, A. & Hilmi, M. (2025). Basic concepts of tarbiyah ta'lim and ta'dib education. Bulletin of Islamic Research, 3(1), 95-102. DOI: 10.69526/bir.v3i1.173
Bano, S. (2025). Nurturing faith and morality: A broad approach to Islamic education for early childhood. Proceeding International Seminar on Islamic Studies, 6(1), 1082-1089. DOI: 10.3059/insis.v0i0
Basri, H., & Abdullah, A. (2024). Curriculum integration constructs in integrated Islamic elementary school. Tafkir: Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Education, 5(1), 79–99. https://doi.org/10.31538/tijie.v5i1.873
Emenike, J. A. (2025). Innovative pedagogies for reimagining teaching and learning in early childhood education. Journal of Specialized Education Research and Development, 1, 137-154. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18750078
Farida, N. & Zuhairi, Z. (2025). Qur’anic pedagogical methods in Islamic child education. Education and Learning, 1(1), 10-15. DOI: 10.58920/edu0101392
Fatah Yasin, R. F., & Jani, M. S. (2019). Educational philosophy in Islam in the curriculum design of integrated Islamic education in Malaysia. HIKMATUNA: Journal for Integrative Islamic Studies, 5(1), 1–14.
Ha, T., Lien, V. & Hang, T. (2025). Early childhood education through a child-centred approach: Theoretical foundations and key issues. Macrolinguistics and Microlinguistics, 6(2), 74-84. DOI: 10.21744/mami.v6n2.40
Hasby, G. (2025). Qur'an studies and Islamic education a critical pedagogic perspective: An analysis of contemporary interpretation. Journal Research of Social Science, Economics, and Management, 5(4), 4207-4217. DOI: 10.59141/jrssem.v5i4.1178
Mughakali, A. & Joseph, S. (2026). Traditional Vs modern approaches to early childhood care and education. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 8(1), 1-7. https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2026/1/67154.pdf
Negara, A. H. S. (2026). The Islamic worldview as the epistemological foundation of islamic educational philosophy. Journal of Islamic Education and Ethics, 4(1), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.18196/jiee.v4i1.129
Nhase, Z. & Dube, B. (2023). Integrating storytelling and inquiry-based approach as pedagogies of developing scientific skills in early childhood classrooms. E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 4(12), 32-42. DOI: 10.38159/ehass.20234124
Nzuza, Z., Kushwaha, R., Maurya, T. B. & Yadav, P. K. (2026). Early childhood and inclusive education: Contemporary global perspectives. New Delhi: BlueRose Publishers.
OECD. (2025a). Starting strong: Reducing inequalities by investing in early childhood education and care. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/b78f8b25-en
OECD. (2025b). Education policy outlook 2025: Nurturing engaged and resilient lifelong learners in a world of digital transformation. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/c3f402ba-en.
Rahmatullah, B., Rawai, N., Mohamad Samuri, S. & Yassin, S. (2021). Overview of early childhood care and education in Malaysia. Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 11(4), 1-17. DOI: 10.1556/063.2021.00074
Ramli, M. (2022). Early childhood education in Islamic perspective. Bulletin of Early Childhood, 1(1), 31-41. DOI: 10.51278/bec.v1i1.416
Ridwan, E. (2025). Identifying tarbiyah, ta'lim, and ta'dib as a grand design for character education for the younger generation. Mauriduna: Journal of Islamic Studies, 6(4), 676-697. DOI: 10.37274/mauriduna.v6i4.36
Rumbidzai, T. & Achebe, M. (2023). Exploring the role of early childhood education in shaping children's future development. Educia Journal, 1(2), 29-37. DOI: 10.71435/610402
Sairan, M. A. A. (2024). Perspektif Islam berkenaan teknik bermain dalam pembelajaran pendidikan awal kanak-kanak [Islamic perspective on play-based techniques in early childhood education learning]. Jurnal Pembangunan Sosial, 27, 161–183. https://doi.org/10.32890/jps2024.27.8
Theobald, M., Whiteford, C. & McFadden, A. (2025). Through their eyes: Children’s perspectives on quality in early childhood education. Education Sciences, 15(7), 1-19. DOI: 10.3390/educsci15070836
UNESCO. (2026). Global education monitoring report 2026: access and equity, countdown to 2030. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000397618
United Nations (UN). (2025). The sustainable development goals report 2025. New York: United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2025.pdf
Wan Daud, W. M. N. (1998). The educational philosophy and practice of Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas: An exposition of the original concept of Islamization. Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Zaheril Zainudin, Nurmuma Kamarina Jamil, Hasnah Embi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
