Bangladeshi Student Completes PhD in Islamic Education at UMS with Scopus Q1 Research

The Doctoral Program in Islamic Education of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) officially conferred doctoral degrees on three new graduates during an open promotion session held at the Amphitheater Room of the Faculty of Islamic Studies, UMS, Monday (29/12/2025). All three were declared to have graduated with the cum laude distinction based on their academic achievements and research contributions published in reputable international journals.

One of the newly promoted doctors is Mahmudulhassan from Bangladesh. He successfully completed his doctoral studies by publishing an article in the Journal of Al-Tamaddun, which is indexed in Scopus Q1. His research was motivated by the growing social issues of intolerance, inequality, and environmental degradation, particularly among young people.

In his dissertation, Mahmudulhassan highlighted the challenges of moral education amid global social dynamics. “Educational systems are under pressure not only to develop intellectual intelligence, but also to build morality and social sensitivity. Moral education has long been regarded as an essential component for social cohesion and cultural sustainability,” Mahmudulhassan explained.

The findings of his research conclude that Islamic moral education provides a strong foundation for students’ moral development. However, its effectiveness is highly dependent on the reinforcement of values in daily life and contextual learning approaches.

Dissertation examiner Prof. Noorhaidi, S.Ag., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., expressed his appreciation for the achievement. “First of all, I would like to congratulate you on reaching this stage and publishing your article in an international journal. This is an interesting topic,” he said.

Prof. Noorhaidi posing a question to Mahmudulhassan during the Open Doctoral Promotion Session at the Amphitheater Room of the Faculty of Islamic Studies, UMS, 29 December 2025. UMS Public Relations / Imam Safi'i

Mahmudulhasan stated that he conducted the research as a form of contribution to the advancement of Bangladesh. During his time as a student at UMS, he published five Scopus-indexed articles. He is now recorded as the 59th doctoral graduate of the PAI Doctoral Program at UMS.

The next newly promoted doctor is Ardiansyah, who presented a dissertation entitled Efek Mediasi Keterampilan Kognitif Eksekutif (Executive Function) dalam Menghafal (Working Memory) Al-Qur’an terhadap Peningkatan Keterampilan Berpikir Tingkat Tinggi (Higher Order Thinking Skills). His dissertation has been published in an international Scopus Q4 journal, the Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences. With his graduation, Ardiansyah became the 58th doctoral graduate of PAI UMS with a cum laude distinction.

Ardiansyah’s research found that working memory has a very strong influence on executive function, particularly in improving HOTS. The influence pathway of memorization on HOTS showed a significant value of 0.631.

Ardiansyah, the 58th doctoral graduate of PAI UMS. UMS Public Relations / Imam Safi'i

“Rigorous Al-Qur’an memorization practices significantly enhance HOTS, primarily through the direct strengthening of working memory capacity,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Shobah Shofariyani Iryanti also took part in the open doctoral promotion session by defending her dissertation entitled Strategi Pembelajaran Berbasis Masalah dengan Pendekatan Metakognitif dalam Konteks Multikultural untuk Meningkatkan Pemahaman Nilai-Nilai Islam di SMP Labschool Kebayoran Jakarta.

Her research was motivated by the fact that PAI and character education learning is still predominantly oriented toward lecture-based methods, amid the demands for developing 21st-century skills.

During the session, Shobah received a question from Prof. Dr. Sekar Ayu Aryani, M.Ag., regarding the implementation of a multicultural context at SMP Labschool Kebayoran Jakarta.

Shobah Shofariyani Iryanti while defending her dissertation before the examiners. UMS Public Relations / Imam Safi'i

“The multicultural context is a very important issue. In this study, the researcher examines it from three aspects. First, the social and cultural aspect. Second, from the perspective of institutional commitment, SMP Labschool Kebayoran Jakarta has a fairly strong commitment to character education and multiculturalism,” she explained.

In addition, from a pedagogical perspective, the school integrates life-skill-based learning with multicultural values. The research results show that problem-based learning strategies with a metacognitive approach are implemented systematically through PBL stages combined with reflective questions.

The strategy has been proven to train students to solve contextual problems related to Islamic values within diversity and to improve critical and reflective thinking skills.

Shobah was declared to have passed and was officially conferred as the 57th doctoral graduate of the PAI Doctoral Program at UMS with a cum laude distinction.

Writer: Maysali Sudarwati

Editor: Fika Annisa’ Sholihah

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid