FITRAH-BASED EDUCATION IN DEVELOPING STUDENTS' ACADEMIC AND SPIRITUAL POTENTIAL: A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL CASE STUDY

Research on fitrah-based education is mostly conceptual or situated in early childhood and primary schools; its implementation in junior high schools bound by the national curriculum remains underexplored. This qualitative case study describes the forms of implementation, strategies for developing students' academic and spiritual potential, supporting and inhibiting factors, and implications for students at SMP Ar-Rauf Tangerang. Data came from interviews with seven informants, observation, and documents, analyzed with the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model. Four forms of implementation emerged: an integrated curriculum, learning centered on students' uniqueness, narrative assessment (Rapor Fitrah), and a nurturing school culture. Potential was developed through talent mapping, personalized Qur'an memorization, nature-based entrepreneurship, and differentiated instruction. Educator vision, parental involvement, and the environment supported implementation; tension with the national curriculum, teacher workload, and varied parental understanding inhibited it. The study proposes the Formal School Fitrah Ecosystem model.