Implementation of the In-House Training Program in Enhancing the Digital Competence of Islamic Religious Education Teachers in Madrasahs of Pahae Jae Subdistrict

Abstract

Digital technology has changed what is expected of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) teachers, but in madrasahs outside urban centres the equipment, connectivity, and training available often lag behind that expectation. This study examines how an in-house training (IHT) programme enhanced the digital competence of PAI teachers in three madrasahs in Pahae Jae Subdistrict, North Sumatra, Indonesia, and pursues three objectives: to describe how the programme was implemented, to identify the competencies it developed, and to assess its contribution to digital-based PAI learning. The study used a classroom action research design informed by participatory action research, carried out in two cycles of planning, action, observation, and reflection, with 15 of the 25 PAI teachers in the subdistrict as participants. Data were collected through participant observation, structured interviews, documentation, and a pre-cycle questionnaire, and analysed through data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing, with triangulation across the sources. The main findings are as follows. Competence at baseline was uneven: 66.7% of teachers could operate laptops, projectors, and the internet, but only 33.3% could use a learning management system and 20.0% could produce interactive learning media. Group mastery then rose from 40% at baseline to 73% at the end of Cycle I and 100% at the end of Cycle II, and four competencies developed in sequence: digital literacy, the use of technology-based instructional media, the production of digital content, and the use of technology for assessment. Repeated, practice-centred cycles of training, rather than a single workshop, therefore offer a workable route to digital competence for PAI teachers in madrasahs.