Transformation Of Islamic Religious Education Learning Through Digital Role Playing: An Effort To Increase Students’ Learning Interest

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the influence of implementing Digital Role Playing on students' learning interest in Islamic Religious Education at SMP Negeri 23 Makassar. The background of this research is based on the low level of student engagement, which is often attributed to conventional teaching methods that are predominantly one-way and lack active student involvement or experiential learning. The integration of digital innovations into the role-playing method is expected to create a more interactive and engaging learning environment.

This research employed a quantitative approach using an ex post facto design. The data collection instrument was a Likert-scale questionnaire, and data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using simple linear regression. The findings revealed that the average score of Digital Role Playing implementation was 4.09, and the average student learning interest was 4.20, both categorized as high. Regression analysis indicated a significant influence of Digital Role Playing on students' learning interest, contributing 44.9% to the variance.

These findings demonstrate that transforming Islamic Religious Education through Digital Role Playing can enhance students' learning interest by fostering an interactive, contextual, and reflective classroom atmosphere. Therefore, this method is recommended for broader implementation in Islamic education at the junior high school level as part of a digital transformation effort in contemporary Islamic learning.