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Articles | Acta Pedagogia Asiana | Volume 6 - Issue 1 - 2027 | 16−31 | https://doi.org/10.53623/apga.v6i1.1307
© 2026 by the author(s), and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License

Algorithm of Piety: The Pedagogical Structure of Tarbiyah, Ta'lim, and Ta'dib in YouTube Akidah Akhlak Sermons as a Source of Islamic Religious Education Learning

Author(s): Rika Azizah , Merri Sri Hartati ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0061-2125 , Lety Febriana
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Master Program in Pedagogy, Universitas Muhammadiyah Bengkulu, Bengkulu 38119, Indonesia

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Acta Pedagogia Asiana

Volume 6 - Issue 1 - 2027

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Islamic sermons on YouTube are widely used by Indonesian Generation Z as an informal source of Akidah Akhlak learning, yet their pedagogical structures have rarely been examined through the lens of Islamic educational theory. This study aimed to identify the pedagogical structures of YouTube sermons based on the classical dimensions of tarbiyah, ta'lim, and ta'dib; examine the associations between these structures and indicators of viewers' affective engagement; and explore their implications for Grade X Islamic Religious Education (PAI). A directed qualitative content analysis was conducted on three purposively selected sermons addressing Grade X Akidah Akhlak themes, including one by Buya Yahya and two by Adi Hidayat, using the Sermon Pedagogical Structure Analysis (ASPC) instrument. The findings were compared with indicators derived from 4,689 viewer comments analysed in a previous study using the same corpus. All three sermons followed a consistent pedagogical sequence, progressing from ta'lim to tarbiyah and subsequently to ta'dib, although their relative emphases differed. The sermon with the strongest emphasis on tarbiyah was associated with the highest proportion of positive comments (29.5%) and the greatest average comment length (19.5 words). The two sermons in which ta'dib played a primary role through concrete steps towards repentance or self-control exhibited higher proportions of repentance-related comments (23.7% and 25.0%) than the sermon in which ta'dib served a supporting role (10.3%). These findings indicate associations across three cases rather than causal relationships between sermon structure and changes in viewers' attitudes or behaviours. The ASPC instrument may assist PAI teachers in systematically evaluating digital sermons before recommending them as supplementary learning resources. Further research involving larger sermon corpora and direct learner participation is recommended to validate these patterns and assess their educational implications.

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SUBMITTED: 20 July 2026
ACCEPTED: 22 October 2026
PUBLISHED: 25 October 2026
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 94 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/apga.v6i1.1307

Cite this article
Azizah, R., Hartati, M. S., & Febriana, L. . (2026). Algorithm of Piety: The Pedagogical Structure of Tarbiyah, Ta’lim, and Ta’dib in YouTube Akidah Akhlak Sermons as a Source of Islamic Religious Education Learning. Acta Pedagogia Asiana, 6(1), 16−31. https://doi.org/10.53623/apga.v6i1.1307
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