Rethinking Formal Education through Ivan Illich’s Concept of Deschooling Society

2026-09-29T02:29:50+00:00

The formalisation of modern education has increasingly contributed to the dehumanisation of the learning process and fostered bureaucratic dependence on formal qualifications and certification. This study critically analyses the implementation of transformative pedagogy at Sanggar Anak Alam (SALAM) in Yogyakarta as a practical manifestation of Ivan Illich’s radical critique of institutionalised education in Deschooling Society. This qualitative study employed a systematic literature review of relevant academic literature retrieved from Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), followed by qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that SALAM has deconstructed conventional classroom practices by promoting the principle of “Independent Thinking,” redefining facilitators as learning companions rather than one-way instructors, and developing a community-based learning ecosystem. Its operational curriculum is implemented through a “Learning Cycle” model and independent inquiry into real-world issues, including food, health, environmental, and socio-cultural concerns, while integrating local wisdom (titen) and narrative-based evaluation. Nevertheless, this alternative education model faces several challenges, including scalability, regulatory barriers related to the recognition of qualifications through Packages A/B/C, the sustainability of self-funded operations, and the need to strengthen facilitator capacity. The findings demonstrate how the deconstruction of conventional schooling can be translated into autonomous and community-based “learning webs” that reconnect education with everyday life and learner autonomy.

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

2026-09-02T11:30:34+00:00

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.

Acta Pedagogia Asiana

Rethinking Formal Education through Ivan Illich’s Concept of Deschooling Society

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