Moral formation through children’s songs: an Islamic educational perspective in a global media context

Children’s songs constitute a powerful yet often underexamined medium of moral socialisation in early childhood education. In contemporary Muslim societies, children are increasingly exposed to a plural media environment in which Islamic children’s songs coexist with Western-produced musical content, particularly through digital platforms. While music-based learning has been widely recognised for its cognitive, linguistic, and emotional benefits, comparatively little attention has been given to how different cultural traditions of children’s songs shape moral and religious value formation. This study addresses that gap by offering a qualitative comparative analysis of Islamic and Western children’s songs and examining teachers’ perceptions of their influence on Islamic moral development among young learners in Malaysia. Guided by theories of moral education, socio-cultural learning, and Islamic pedagogy, the study employs thematic content analysis of selected songs alongside survey data from primary and preschool teachers. The findings indicate that Islamic children’s songs consistently integrate moral instruction with religious consciousness, framing ethical behaviour as an expression of faith and accountability to God, whereas Western children’s songs primarily promote general social values within a secular and individualistic framework (Al-Ghazālī, 2004; Barrett, 2016; Lickona, 1991). Teachers reported that moral internalisation was strongest when songs were emotionally engaging and pedagogically mediated through explanation and repetition (Hallam, 2010; Ilari & Sundara, 2009). The study contributes to scholarship on music education and moral development by highlighting the culturally situated nature of musical pedagogy and emphasising the need for intentional mediation of children’s media in Islamic educational contexts.