The The Religiosity of Master’s Students in the IAT Program at UIN Sunan Kalijaga from William James’ Perspective
Main Article Content
Abstract
The religious development of postgraduate students has received limited scholarly attention, particularly regarding the interaction of academic and spiritual experiences within Islamic higher education. This study aims to analyze the religious development of Master’s students in the Quranic Studies and Tafsir program, Class D, at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta through the perspective of William James’ theory of religious experience. A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed to explore the lived religious experiences of students in academic, personal, and social contexts. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations involving eight purposively selected informants and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal two distinct patterns of religious development: four students experienced significant growth in religiosity, while the remaining four showed relatively stable religious orientations. These developmental processes were shaped by internal factors, including religious beliefs, personal reflection, and spiritual awareness, together with external factors, such as academic discussions, social interactions, and campus religious activities. The findings demonstrate that the dimensions of ineffability, noetic quality, and transiency proposed by William James are reflected in the religious experiences of the students, highlighting the transformative role of subjective spiritual encounters. The novelty of this study lies in its integration William James’ theory of religious experience in the context of Islamic postgraduate education offers a deeper understanding of graduate students’ religious development. These findings imply that Islamic higher education institutions should strengthen reflection-based learning, dialogical classrooms, and structured spiritual development programs to foster religious growth among students while contributing to the advancement of the psychology of religion literature within contemporary Islamic higher education.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
References
Abdussalam, A., Supriyadi, T., Supriadi, U., Saepudin, A., & Pamungkas, M. I. (2021). Exegetical translation of the Qur’an: An action research on prospective Islamic teachers in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 254–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaal.2021.11.08
Aditya, Y., Martoyo, I., Nurcahyo, F. A., Ariela, J., & Pramono, R. (2021). Factorial structure of the four basic dimensions of religiousness among Muslim and Christian college students in Indonesia. Cogent Psychology, 8(1), 1974680. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2021.1974680
Alwi, S. (2018). Perkembangan Religiusitas Remaja. Kaukaba Dipantara.
Amir, Y. (2021). Pengembangan Skala Religiusitas untuk Subyek Muslim. Indonesian Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.24854/ijpr403
Aryani, S. A. (2015). Orientasi, Sikap dan Perilaku Keagamaan (Studi Kasus Mahasiswa Salah Satu Perguruan Tinggi Negeri di DIY). Religi: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 11(1), 59–80. https://doi.org/10.14421/rejusta.2015.1101-04
Chanifah, N., Hanafi, Y., Mahfud, C., & Samsudin, A. (2021). Designing a spirituality-based Islamic education framework for young Muslim generations: A case study from two Indonesian universities. Higher Education Pedagogies, 6(1), 195–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2021.1960879
Cole-Turner, R. (2021). Psychedelic epistemology: William James and the "Noetic Quality" of mystical experience. Religions, 12(12), 1058. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12121058
Evans, R. B. (1990). William James, "The Principles of Psychology," and Experimental Psychology. The American Journal of Psychology, 103(4), 433–447. https://doi.org/10.2307/142331
Exline, J. J., Van Tongeren, D. R., Bradley, D. F., Wilt, J. A., Stauner, N., Pargament, K. I., & DeWall, C. N. (2022). Pulling away from religion: Religious/spiritual struggles and religious disengagement among college students. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 14(3), 300–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000375
Fridayanti, F. (2016). Religiusitas, Spiritualitas dalam Kajian Psikologi dan Urgensi Perumusan Religiusitas Islam. Psympathic: Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi, 2(2), 199–208. https://doi.org/10.15575/psy.v2i2.460
Fuertes, A., & Dugan, K. (2021). Spirituality through the lens of students in higher education. Religions, 12(11), 924. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110924
Gilbertson, M. K., Brady, S. T., Ablorh, T., Logel, C., & Schnitker, S. A. (2022). Closeness to God, spiritual struggles, and well-being in the first year of college. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 742265. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.742265
Grant, J. E., Lust, K., & Chamberlain, S. R. (2023). Religiosity, impulsivity, and compulsivity in university students. CNS Spectrums, 28(3), 367–373. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852922000815
Hajaroh, M. (1998). Sikap dan Perilaku Keagamaan Mahasiswa Islam di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Jurnal Penelitian dan Evaluasi Pendidikan, 1(1), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.21831/pep.v1i1.2107
Ihsani, H., & Utami, S. E. (2022). The role of religiosity and self-efficacy toward a quarter-life crisis in Muslim college students. INSPIRA: Indonesian Journal of Psychological Research, 3(1), 31–37. https://doi.org/10.32505/inspira.v3i1.4309
Islam, M., & Mercer-Mapstone, L. (2021). "University is a non-Muslim experience": Muslim students’ experiences and implications for student voice. British Educational Research Journal, 47(6), 1611–1628. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3733
Ismail, R. (2012). Konsep tolerance dalai Psikologi Agama (Tinjauan Kematangan Beragama). Religi: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 8(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.14421/rejusta.2012.0801-01
Iswati, I. (2019). Karakteristik Ideal Sikap Religiusitas pada Masa Dewasa. At-Tajdid: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pemikiran Islam, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.24127/att.v2i01.859
James, W. (1902). The Varieties of Religious Experience. Longmans, Green, and Co.
Komarudin, K. (2012). Pengalaman Bersua Tuhan: Perspektif William James dan Al-Ghazali. Walisongo: Jurnal Penelitian Sosial Keagamaan, 20(2), 469–498. https://doi.org/10.21580/ws.20.2.209
Lih, J. W., Kim, Y. K., & Conn, C. A. (2024). Spirituality and religiosity among international college students in the United States: The benefits and predictors. Journal of Underrepresented and Minority Progress, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.32674/jump.v8i1.5091
Main, R. (2021). Psychology of Religion. In R. A. Segal & N. P. Roubekas (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119092797.ch6
Muhaimin. (2001). Paradigma Pendidikan Islam: Upaya Mengefektifkan Pendidikan Agama Islam Remaja Rosdakarya.
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the Psychology of Religion. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
Saleh, A. R. (2022). Dimensi Keberagamaan dalam Pendidikan. Jurnal Jendela Pendidikan, 2(4), 580–590. https://doi.org/10.57008/jjp.v2i04.327
Scheitle, C. P., & Dabbs, E. (2021). Religiosity and identity interference among graduate students in the sciences. Social Science Research, 93, 102503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102503
Supriatna, E., & Septian, M. R. (2021). The influence of religiosity and spirituality toward students’ psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(1), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v7i1.10850
Suzanawaty, L., Aisyah, M., & Umiyati, A. (2021). A comparison of Muslim millennial students’ religiosity at Islamic and Non-Faith Based Universities. TARBIYA: Journal of Education in Muslim Society, 8(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.15408/tjems.v8i1.19210
Syafitri, D. U., & Rahmah, L. (2021). The role of religiosity and religious coping toward seeking psychological help among college students in Semarang. Psikis: Jurnal Psikologi Islami, 7(2), 104–119. https://doi.org/10.19109/psikis.v7i2.8599
Upenieks, L., & Eagle, D. (2026). Religious and spiritual struggles and depressive symptoms among seminary students: Childhood religiosity as boon or buffer? Pastoral Psychology, 75, 317–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-026-01300-3
Williams-Smith, R., & McMillan, S. J. (2022). A systems-theory analysis of the relationship between communication, beliefs/practices, religiosity, spirituality and expected future religious practices of college students. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 31(1), 88–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/10656219.2022.2035866