Implementing Bilingual Education Environment in Islamic Boarding Schools: An Effort in Instilling Intercultural Dimensions

Abstract

This study explores how bilingual education practices in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) shape students’ Arabic and English language development and how intercultural dimensions influence the effectiveness of bilingual instruction. Positioned within a culturally and religiously grounded environment, Arabic is primarily associated with scripture, ritual, and classical Islamic scholarship, while English is framed as a gateway to global knowledge, academic mobility, and broader intercultural engagement. Adopting a qualitative interpretive case study design, the research involved ten government-certified EFL teachers with at least ten years of teaching experience in pesantren. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, and analyzed using thematic analysis with inductive and deductive coding. The findings reveal a functional separation of languages that generates complementary yet unequal domains of use: students develop strong passive competence in religious Arabic but limited communicative fluency, while English instruction incorporates some communicative activities but remains constrained by exam pressures, large classes, and institutional routines. Translanguaging practices support comprehension but may inadvertently reduce extended target-language use. Intercultural dimensions enhance bilingual instruction when teachers act as cultural mediators, linking global issues and diverse Muslim experiences to Islamic values; however, concerns about moral risks lead some teachers to restrict authentic materials, narrowing intercultural exposure. The study contributes theoretically by highlighting the interplay between language policy, pedagogy, pesantren culture, and intercultural framing, and practically by underscoring the need for sustained teacher professional development and context-sensitive bilingual policies in faith-based education.