Synergy of Faith and Science in Learning at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah: Sustainability Based Education

Abstract

This study aims to systematically examine the integration of faith and science in Natural Science (IPA) learning at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (Islamic elementary schools) and its implications for developing students’ scientific literacy, spirituality, and ecological awareness. The research background arises from the fact that science education in Islamic schools often focuses solely on empirical content, thus losing its spiritual meaning and ecological relevance. The method employed was a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 28 articles indexed in Scopus and SINTA 2–4 published between 2018 and 2024. The analysis was conducted through thematic coding to identify research focuses, pedagogical models, and integrative conceptual frameworks. The findings reveal four main tendencies: (1) integration of faith and science concepts within the science curriculum (35.7%), (2) integrative pedagogical strategies of teachers (28.6%), (3) implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) grounded in Islamic values (21.4%), and (4) impacts on students’ scientific literacy and ecological character (14.3%). Four dominant learning models were identified: CORE, Inquiry Spiritual-Based, Contextual Islamic Learning (CIL), and Islamic STEAM. This review produces a three-dimensional conceptual framework epistemological, pedagogical, and ecological that shapes the paradigm of “tauhidic pedagogy” as a foundation for developing Islamic science education. In conclusion, science learning in Islamic elementary schools functions not merely as knowledge transmission but as a transformative process that cultivates learners into knowledgeable, faithful, and ecologically responsible individuals