Code-Switching, Critical Pedagogy, and Religious Identity: Insights from Indonesian Islamic Boarding School Classrooms
Abstract
This study analyzes code-switching practices in pesantren classrooms, with a focus on Pesantren Darul Ulum in West Sumatra, and examines their pedagogical role in integrating religious values with academic subjects. A qualitative classroom ethnography was conducted, drawing on participatory and non-participatory observations across twelve lessons, in-depth interviews with teachers and students, and document analysis. Data were examined using thematic coding informed by sociolinguistic and critical pedagogy perspectives, with source and method triangulation employed to ensure validity. Findings reveal that code-switching between Indonesian, Arabic (Qur’anic verses, hadiths, religious terminology), and Minangkabau operates not only as a communicative tool but also as a pedagogical and ideological practice. Teachers strategically employ code-switching to connect modern academic knowledge with Islamic values, reinforcing students’ religious identities while fostering critical literacy. These insights challenge conventional views that position code-switching merely as pragmatic communication, highlighting instead its function as a medium of religiously grounded critical pedagogy. The novelty of this study lies in shifting the focus of code-switching research from pragmatic communication toward pedagogical, ideological, and identity-related dimensions within Islamic education. It offers a conceptual framework for understanding code-switching as an integrative tool bridging national curricula with religious values, thereby contributing to sociolinguistics, education, and the study of critical religious pedagogy.
Downloads
References
Alsaawi, A. (2022). The use of language and religion from a sociolinguistic perspective. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 32(2), 236–253. https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00039.als
Archakis, A., & Tsakona, V. (2022). “It Is Necessary to Try Our Best to Learn the Language”: a Greek Case Study of Internalized Racism in Antiracist Discourse. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 23(1), 161–182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00831-3
Arifianto, M. L., Purnamawati, Z., Izzudin, I. F., & Mujahidah, Z. A. (2024). Bridging family language policy and Arabic language acquisition by Indonesian Muslim community: A conceptual approach. Bahasa Dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, Dan Pengajarannya, 52(2), 159–173. https://doi.org/10.17977/um015v52i22024p159
Ashoumi, H., H, L. N. C., & Hidayatulloh, M. K. Y. (2022). Internalization of Religious Moderation Values Through Learning Moral Sufism with Implications for Student Association Ethics. SCHOOLAR: Social and Literature Study in Education, 2(2), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.32764/schoolar.v2i2.2959
Canagarajah, S. (2020). Transnational work, translingual practices, and interactional sociolinguistics. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 24(5), 555–573. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12440
Canagarajah, S. (2021). Materialising semiotic repertoires: challenges in the interactional analysis of multilingual communication. International Journal of Multilingualism, 18(2), 206–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.1877293
Choirin, M., Dwijayanto, A., Yumna, L., & Muaz, Y. A. (2024). Nurturing Moderate Islam: Strategic Da’wah Communication in The Digital Era for Generation Z. International Journal Ihya’ ’Ulum Al-Din, 26(1), 108–118. https://doi.org/10.21580/ihya.26.1.20008
Crookes, G. V. (2022). Critical language pedagogy. Language Teaching, 55(1), 46–63. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444820000609
D’Onofrio, A. (2020). Personae in sociolinguistic variation. WIREs Cognitive Science, 11(6), 1543. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1543
Dakir, D., Mundiri, A., Yaqin, M. A., Niwati, N., & Subaida, I. (2022). The Model of Teachers Communication Based on Multicultural Values in Rural Early Childhood Education. Jurnal Obsesi : Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 6(4), 3460–3472. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v6i4.2125
Dian, D., Hidayatulloh, R., Riyanti, T., & Aripin, J. (2024). The Role of Kiai Leadership in Developing Students’ Character at Islamic Boarding School. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(1), 234–246. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i1.4378
Ding, S. L., & Chee, W. H. (2023). “What I want to do I do not do”: on bi- and multilingual repertoires and linguistic dislocation in a border town. Multilingua, 42(3), 315–338. https://doi.org/10.1515/multi-2021-0096
Ekaningtyas, N. L. D., & Yasa, I. M. A. (2022). Internalization of Religious Values in Early Childhood. Jurnal Syntax Transformation, 3(12), 1608–1614. https://doi.org/10.46799/jst.v3i12.656
Fuster Guillen, D. E. (2019). Qualitative research paradigm, a key research design for educational researchers, processes and procedures: A theoretical overview. Propósitos y Representaciones, 7(1), 201. https://doi.org/10.20511/pyr2019.v7n1.267
Greene, M. (2023). In Search of a Critical Pedagogy. In The Critical Pedagogy Reader (pp. 37–49). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003286080-4
Heyd, T., & Schneider, B. (2019). The sociolinguistics of late modern publics. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 23(5), 435–449. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12378
Hymes, D. (2020). The Scope of Sociolinguistics. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2020(263), 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2020-2084
Kaiser, I. (2022). Children’s Linguistic Repertoires Across Dialect and Standard Speech: Mirroring Input or Co-constructing Sociolinguistic Identities? Language Learning and Development, 18(1), 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/15475441.2021.1922282
Karimullah, S. S., Faizin, M., & Islami, A. (2023). Internalization of Islamic Moderation Values in Building a Civilization of Love and Tolerance. Al-Insyiroh: Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 9(1), 94–125. https://doi.org/10.35309/alinsyiroh.v9i1.227
Kerfoot, C., & Kuteeva, M. (2024). Dynamics of Multilingualism: Spatialized Repertoires and Representations in Unstable Times. In M. Kuteeva & C. Kerfoot (Eds.), Dynamics of Multilingualism (pp. 1–18). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67555-3_1
Land, J. (2024). Producing Locally Causal Explanations in Qualitative Research by Using a Realist Phenomenological Methodology. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23(2), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241234806
Lanza, E. (2021). The family as a space: multilingual repertoires, language practices and lived experiences. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 42(8), 763–771. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1979015
Lexander, K. V., & Androutsopoulos, J. (2021). Working with mediagrams: a methodology for collaborative research on mediational repertoires in multilingual families. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 42(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.1667363
Lim, W. M. (2024). What Is Qualitative Research? An Overview and Guidelines. Australasian Marketing Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619
Mäder, M.-T. (2023). Promising images of love: a qualitative-ethnographic study about the mediatised memories of weddings. Open Research Europe, 3(12), 198. https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.16521.1
Madkur, A. (2024). Multilingual Realities and English Teacher Construction in Indonesian Pesantren: A Narrative Inquiry. Anglophile Journal, 4(2), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.51278/anglophile.v4i2.1044
Madkur, A. (2025). English Teachers Promoting Intercultural Awareness in Multilingual Context of Indonesian Pesantren. Cross-Cultural Education Studies, 1(1), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.63385/cces.v1i1.162
McLaren, P. (2023). Critical Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concepts. In The Critical Pedagogy Reader (pp. 75–97). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003286080-6
Mohajan, H. K. (2018). Qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related subjects. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 7(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.26458/jedep.v7i1.571
Motulsky, S. L. (2021). Is member checking the gold standard of quality in qualitative research? Qualitative Psychology, 8(3), 389–406. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000215
Mougeon, R., & Rehner, K. (2019). Patterns of sociolinguistic variation in teacher classroom speech. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 23(2), 163–185. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12336
Munandar, M. I., & Newton, J. (2021). Indonesian EFL teachers’ pedagogic beliefs and classroom practices regarding culture and interculturality. Language and Intercultural Communication, 21(2), 158–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.1867155
Nasir, M., & Rijal, M. K. (2021). Keeping the middle path: mainstreaming religious moderation through Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 11(2), 213–241. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v11i2.213-241
Nassif, L., & Al Masaeed, K. (2022). Supporting the sociolinguistic repertoire of emergent diglossic speakers: multidialectal practices of L2 Arabic learners. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 43(8), 759–773. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1774595
Nha, V. T. T. (2021). Understanding validity and reliability from qualitative and quantitative research traditions. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 37(3). https://doi.org/10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4672
Oe, H., Yamaoka, Y., & Ochiai, H. (2022). A Qualitative Assessment of Community Learning Initiatives for Environmental Awareness and Behaviour Change: Applying UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063528
Priya, A. (2021). Case Study Methodology of Qualitative Research: Key Attributes and Navigating the Conundrums in Its Application. Sociological Bulletin, 70(1), 94–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022920970318
Pupynina, Maria, & Aralova, Natalia. (2021). Lower Kolyma multilingualism: Historical setting and sociolinguistic trends. International Journal of Bilingualism, 25(4), 1081–1101. https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069211023151
Rodriguez-Ordoñez, Itxaso, Kasstan, Jonathan, & O’Rourke, Bernadette. (2022). Responding to sociolinguistic change: New speakers and variationist sociolinguistics. International Journal of Bilingualism, 26(5), 529–541. https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069221110381
Ruslan, Ismatullah, Luthfiyah, Khairudin, & Ramadhan, S. (2024). Bilingual Education to Improve Understanding of Aqidah at Salafi Islamic Boarding Schools. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(4), 1418–1432. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i4.19
Saepullah, U. (2021). Cultural Communications of Islamic Boarding Schools in Indonesia. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(3), 2188–2202. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i3.1154
Shiddiq, A., Ulfatin, N., Imron, A., & Imron, A. (2024). Developing Student Character Education Through Islamic Boarding School Culture In Islamic Elementary Schools. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(2), 2277–2288. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.5260
Sholeh, M. B., Ahsin, N., Alany, Z., & Fatimah, F. (2022). The Integration of Religious Moderation Values in English Language Teaching in Madrasah. Proceedings of the International Conference on Madrasah Reform 2021 (ICMR 2021), 178–185. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220104.027
Solé, C. R. i. (2022). Lived languages: ordinary collections and multilingual repertoires. International Journal of Multilingualism, 19(4), 647–663. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1797047
Solehudin, M., & Arisandi, Y. (2024). Language Interference in Arabic Learning: A Case Study of Islamic Boarding Schools in Indonesia. Al-Ta’rib : Jurnal Ilmiah Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Arab IAIN Palangka Raya, 12(2), 423–438. https://doi.org/10.23971/altarib.v12i2.9170
Susylowati, E., Sumarlam, S., Abdullah, W., & Marmanto, S. (2019). Code Switching by Female Students of Islamic School in Daily Communication: Modern Islamic Boarding School. Arab World English Journal, 10(2), 102–114. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no2.9
Tahir, S. R., & Maarof, N. (2021). Stakeholders’ attitudes and beliefs towards the bilingual pedagogy of Islamic studies subject in a Malaysian international Islamic school. Journal of Research, Policy & Practice of Teachers & Teacher Education, 11(1), 80–97. https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol11.1.6.2021
Tambak, S., Hamzah, H., Sukenti, D., & Sabdin, M. (2021). Internalization of Islamic Values in Developing Students’ Actual Morals. JPI (Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia), 10(4), 697–709. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpi-undiksha.v10i4.30328
Tiawati, R. L., Kurnia, M. D., Nazriani, N., Annisa, W., & Harahap, S. H. (2024). Cultural Literacy in Indonesian Language Learning for Foreign Speakers (BIPA): Overcoming Barriers and Fostering Language Proficiency with Cross-Cultural Understanding Issues. Journal of Pragmatics and Discourse Research, 4(1), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.51817/jpdr.v4i1.739
Tseng, A., & Hinrichs, L. (2021). Introduction: Mobility, polylingualism, and change: Toward an updated sociolinguistics of diaspora. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 25(5), 649–661. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12532
Wigdorowitz, M., Pérez, A. I., & Tsimpli, I. M. (2022). Sociolinguistic context matters: Exploring differences in contextual linguistic diversity in South Africa and England. International Multilingual Research Journal, 16(4), 345–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2022.2069416
Wirtz, M. A., & Pfenninger, S. E. (2024). Signature Dynamics of Development in Second Language Sociolinguistic Competence: Evidence From an Intensive Microlongitudinal Study. Language Learning, 74(3), 707–743. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12634
Wirtz, M. A., Pfenninger, S. E., Kaiser, I., & Ender, A. (2024). Sociolinguistic competence and varietal repertoires in a second language: A study on addressee‐dependent varietal behavior using virtual reality. The Modern Language Journal, 108(2), 385–411. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12918
Yani, D. I., Chua, J. Y. X., Wong, J. C. M., Pikkarainen, M., Goh, Y. S. S., & Shorey, S. (2025). Perceptions of Mental Health Challenges and Needs of Indonesian Adolescents: A Descriptive Qualitative Study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 34(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13505
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Hasbi Assiddiqi, Rahmi Rahmi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.