Religious Moderation in Early Childhood Education: A Comparative Case Study in Medan, Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the implementation and construction of religious moderation values in early childhood character education at PAUD Al Washliyah and RA Aisyiyah in Medan. The study employs a qualitative design using a collective instrumental case study approach within a constructivist paradigm. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively selected participants, overt participant observation, and document analysis, and were subsequently analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña's interactive model. The theoretical framework integrates Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, Caleb Rosado's Five Ps Framework, and the theory of religious moderation character education. The findings reveal that the implementation of religious moderation at both institutions takes place through a holistic synergy of the Five Ps with distinct characteristics: PAUD Al Washliyah through a cultural-emotional approach grounded in the wasathiyyah philosophy, realized through the 3S Culture, Four Magic Words, and SPART programs, while RA Aisyiyah through a systematic-managerial approach based on Progressive Islam, featuring the IMTAQ Center, monthly parenting classes, and comparative learning. The construction of moderation values is formed integratively across all layers of Bronfenbrenner's ecological system, with RA Aisyiyah showing more formalized coordination across mesosystem and exosystem relationships, while PAUD Al Washliyah relies more heavily on school-level actors to sustain these connections. The primary scientific contribution of this study is the 5P+2 Holistic Model, which extends Rosado's Five Ps framework by adding the dimensions of Psychology and Digital Platform, thereby transforming it into a Psycho-Socio-Technological framework that is more contextual and adaptive to the challenges of 21st-century education.