Metaverse-Based Islamic Learning Environment to Improve Students’ Spiritual Engagement and Religious Digital Literacy at SMP Negeri 35 Medan
Abstract
Digital transformation in education requires Islamic Religious Education (IRE) to go beyond the delivery of religious knowledge by fostering students’ spiritual engagement and their ability to access, evaluate, and responsibly use religious information in digital environments. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of a Metaverse-Based Islamic Learning Environment in enhancing students’ spiritual engagement and religious digital literacy at SMP Negeri 35 Medan. The study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design. The participants were students of SMP Negeri 35 Medan who were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received Islamic Religious Education through a metaverse-based learning environment designed with virtual Islamic spaces, learning simulations, exploratory activities, collaborative discussions, interactive quizzes, digital religious source verification, and spiritual reflection. Meanwhile, the control group participated in Islamic Religious Education using regular instructional approaches. Data were collected using a spiritual engagement scale and a religious digital literacy instrument. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, instrument validity and reliability testing, normality testing, homogeneity testing, paired-sample t-tests, independent-sample t-tests, and effect-size calculations. The findings are expected to determine the extent to which the metaverse-based learning environment can enhance students’ spiritual engagement and religious digital literacy compared with regular instruction. This study is expected to contribute to the development of Islamic Religious Education that is immersive, reflective, critical, and adaptive to the digital ecosystem.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.56114/al-ulum.v7i3.13761
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