The Development of the Educational Game “Jejak Anbiya’”: A Pedagogical Approach to Teaching ‘Aqidah to Children through the Qur’anic Stories of the Prophets

Abstract

This study aims to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the Jejak Anbiya’ board game as a medium for teaching Islamic creed (ʿaqīdah) to children, based on the narrative of the prophets’ stories in the Qur’an. In an effort to offer a more interactive and holistic alternative to Islamic education, the game is designed based on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, incorporating a game-based learning approach. The game consists of 63 steps, supported by various types of cards designed to deliver questions, worship tasks, and missions inspired by the stories of 25 prophets and messengers. The research methodology involves a design and development approach, followed by an evaluation phase through quasi-experimental methods, including pre- and post-tests, observation, and student reflection. The effectiveness test, involving 10 pupils, showed significant improvements in the cognitive domain (knowledge and understanding), affective domain (interest and positive attitudes towards religious learning), and psychomotor domain (social skills and confidence in expressing learned content). These findings demonstrate that Jejak Anbiya’ has strong potential as an effective teaching aid in delivering ʿaqīdah content and Islamic values in an engaging, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate way for children. This study recommends further exploration of game-based Islamic educational innovations as a contemporary pedagogical strategy rooted in the Qur’an and suitable for today’s digital generation.