ECOTHEOLOGY UNDERSTANDING AND DEPTH OF ECOTHEOLOGICAL VALUE INTERNALIZATION AMONG ISLAMIC HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

Environmental degradation represents a pressing global challenge that directly impacts ecological sustainability and human well-being. In response, the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia has introduced ecotheology within Islamic Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN) to strengthen environmental education and moral-spiritual values. This study aims to explore Islamic Higher Education students’ understanding of ecotheology and map the depth of internalization of ecotheological values in their daily lives. Employing a qualitative-dominant mixed methods approach combined with descriptive quantification, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 30 students. Crucially, the interviews were initiated without any religious framing to capture authentic, practical motivations before later shifting to formal ecotheological concepts and textual literacy. The descriptive quantification and qualitative content analysis reveal a striking contrast: while formal textual literacy is exceptionally high (with 100% of participants fluently reciting the prophetic tradition (hadith) on cleanliness), 66.7% of students possess no functional knowledge of ecotheology. Furthermore, 70% of students operate strictly at the instrumental level of internalization, where daily environmental practices are driven by anthropocentric motivations such as personal comfort and facility utility rather than faith. Analyzed through Krathwohl’s affective taxonomy and the SOLO taxonomy, these findings expose a structural cognitive gap where religious texts and daily ecological actions exist in separate. This study concludes that formal religious literacy does not automatically translate into a spiritual-ecological worldview. Consequently, PTKIN institutions must shift from oneway cognitive lectures to experiential learning models that explicitly bridge scriptural doctrines with real-world environmental stewardship. 

Keywords: Ecotheology; Ecotheological values; Internalization, Islamic higher education; spiritualecological