The Integration of Islamic Values in the Emotion Regulation Strategies of Early Childhood Education Teachers: A Study at KB Ahsanu 'Amala, Sidoarjo
Authors
Nuraini Istinganah
Hafizh Zain Abdillah
Fajar Alfaris
This study explores emotion regulation among Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers at KB Ahsanu 'Amala, Sidoarjo, with particular attention to the integration of Islamic values into teachers' everyday emotional experiences and practices. A descriptive qualitative approach with thematic analysis was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and non-participant observations involving seven female educational staff members selected through total sampling. The findings indicate that teachers experienced diverse emotional demands and employed various strategies to regulate their responses, including pausing, silence, breathing, temporary withdrawal, delayed responses, and restraint of emotional expression. Islamic values and practices further shaped how teachers interpreted and responded to emotionally demanding situations through ḥusnuẓ-ẓan, empathy, ṣabr, dhikr, istighfār, duʿāʾ, muḥāsabah, amānah, ʿibādah, and tawakkul. Emotion regulation was also situated within professional responsibilities and social support from colleagues, school leadership, family, and parents. The findings are interpreted through Gross's Process Model of Emotion Regulation as a psychological analytical lens, while Islamic values provide moral, spiritual, and meaning-centered frameworks for emotional regulation. The study contributes contextual evidence on emotion regulation among educators in an Islamic ECE setting and illustrates the relationship between psychological regulatory processes and Islamic values.
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