Love-Based Curriculum A Philosophical Perspective and Its Relevance to Social Emotional Learning
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53621/getywv22Keywords:
Love-Based Curriculum, Madrasah, Pedagogy of Love, Philosophy of Education, Social Emotional LearningAbstract
Rising cases of violence and declining empathy in educational settings indicate that learning still places primary emphasis on cognitive attainment. The Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia has responded to this situation through the Love-Based Curriculum (Kurikulum Berbasis Cinta, KBC); however, existing studies have focused largely on its implementation and have yet to systematically elaborate its philosophical foundations. This study aims to analyze the ontological, epistemological, and axiological foundations of the KBC and their relevance to the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) framework of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). The study employed a library research design with a conceptual–philosophical analysis approach. The primary sources were the KBC Guidelines, enacted through Decree of the Director General of Islamic Education No. 6077 of 2025, and the CASEL SEL framework document, while the secondary sources comprised relevant journal articles and books. The data were analyzed through content analysis involving data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that, ontologically, the KBC positions love as a relational reality that connects human beings with God, with one another, and with nature; epistemologically, knowledge of love is constructed through empathic experience, reflection, and habituation within the madrasah culture; and axiologically, love serves as a source of ethical, aesthetic, and social-utility values. All five SEL competencies have counterparts in the KBC, while the KBC adds a transcendental dimension that is not made explicit in SEL. This study offers an integrative KBC–SEL conceptual framework that can serve as a basis for developing instruction, assessment, and empirical research in madrasahs.
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