Integrating Islamic and Contemporary Education: Applying Bloom's Taxonomy and the PDCA Cycle for Curriculum Improvement

Abstract

This paper examines the persistent failure of educational integration in Muslim-majority contexts, arguing that the problem is epistemological rather than merely curricular. Contemporary education privileges empirical opinion and rational intellect as its sole sources of valid knowledge, while Islamic education designates Wahi Divine Revelation transmitted through the Quran and authenticated Sunnah, as the primary epistemological anchor that orients all other forms of knowing. Usual integration models have adopted an additive approach, appending Islamic content to unchanged contemporary curricula, which leaves the foundational epistemological divergence unresolved. This paper employs a conceptual-interpretive methodology supported by systematic literature review to propose a two-tier framework: Bloom's Revised Taxonomy is applied at the curricular level to align cognitive learning objectives with Islamic ethical and spiritual formation across all six cognitive tiers; and the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) continuous improvement cycle is adapted at the institutional level to govern iterative reform across four critical dimensions, curriculum, teaching staff, parental engagement, and administrative governance. The proposed framework provides educational institutions with a structured operational model for transitioning from additive toward genuinely epistemological integration, producing graduates who are technically proficient in contemporary disciplines while remaining authentically grounded in the principles of Shariah.