STRENGTHENING LITERACY CULTURE AMONG SANTRI TO ENHANCE SCHOLARLY KNOWLEDGE AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IN PESANTREN

Abstract

This study critically examines the role of literacy culture in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) as a transformative force for both knowledge development and character formation. Employing a qualitative multi-site design at Pesantren Persis 99 Rancabango Garut and Daarul Rahman Islamic Boarding School Jakarta, data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis, and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The findings demonstrate that pesantren literacy culture operates as an integrative system that bridges religious and digital literacy practices. Rather than functioning as a purely cognitive skill, literacy is embedded in a broader pedagogical process that shapes students’ religious dispositions, intellectual discipline, social responsibility, and moral integrity. This integrative process is grounded in a scientific-based religious learning paradigm that synthesizes qauliyah (revealed knowledge) and kauniyah (empirical reality), thereby positioning literacy as both epistemic and ethical practice. This study advances the concept of Progressive Literacy, defined as a dynamic trajectory from knowledge acquisition to the internalization of values and the development of social consciousness. Theoretically, this concept extends existing literacy frameworks by incorporating spiritual and character dimensions within an Islamic educational context. Practically, it offers a replicable model for strengthening literacy-based educational management in pesantren and other Islamic learning institutions