The Dilemma of Adaptive Inclusion: Implementation and Evaluation of Adaptive Islamic Religious Education Learning for Students with Learning Delays

Abstract

Inclusive education requires instructional practices that ensure meaningful participation for students with diverse learning needs. Yet, limited research examines how adaptive Islamic Religious Education (IRE) is implemented and evaluated in mainstream classrooms for students with learning delays. This study investigates the implementation and evaluation of adaptive IRE, including the factors that support and inhibit its implementation, at a public junior high school in Bandung City. Grounded in the literature on inclusive religious education and adaptive pedagogy, the study used a qualitative single-case design. Data came from semi-structured interviews with two Islamic Religious Education teachers, classroom observations in eight Grade VII and Grade VIII classes, and documentary analysis of Capaian Pembelajaran (CP), Alur Tujuan Pembelajaran (ATP), teaching modules, and assessment documents. The analysis followed the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, employing methodological triangulation. Adaptive instruction was implemented mainly through teachers' responsive classroom practices rather than formally differentiated curriculum planning. Evaluation combined standardized written assessments with continuous classroom-based judgments of students' participation, learning effort, and affective development. Teachers' professional commitment and collaboration supported adaptive learning, whereas limited diagnostic information, standardized curriculum documents, the absence of Special Assistant Teachers, and restricted instructional time constrained it. These findings reflect the dynamics of a single case at one public junior high school and should be read as context-specific. Even so, the study extends the adaptive and inclusive education literature by strengthening adaptive Islamic Religious Education through the integration of diagnostic assessment, responsive pedagogy, continuous evaluation, and institutional support