Integrating Character Education into the National Curriculum Framework: An Islamic Education Perspective on Moral Agency and Civic Virtue

Abstract

Character education has become a central concern in national curriculum reform, yet its integration often remains fragmented across subjects, school culture, religious instruction, and policy rhetoric. Previous studies have examined character education, Islamic education, and citizenship education separately, but limited attention has been given to how Islamic education can conceptually bridge moral agency and civic virtue within the national curriculum framework. This study aims to develop an integrative conceptual framework for embedding character education into the national curriculum from an Islamic education perspective. Employing a qualitative conceptual research design, this study uses an integrative literature review and document analysis of scholarly works, curriculum policies, and relevant educational regulations published primarily between 2021 and 2025, while classical sources are used as grand theoretical foundations. The findings show that character education should not be treated as value insertion, but as curriculum integration involving normative foundations, pedagogical practices, moral reflection, and civic responsibility. Islamic education contributes by grounding character formation in akhlaq, adab, spiritual accountability, ethical reasoning, and social responsibility. The study further argues that moral agency enables students to become reflective ethical subjects, while civic virtue represents the public expression of Islamic moral formation. Theoretically, this article contributes an analytical model that connects character education, Islamic moral pedagogy, moral agency, and civic virtue, offering a more holistic approach to curriculum-based ethical formation.