RECONCEPTUALIZING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: EVALUATING JOHN DEWEY’S PRAGMATIC EDUCATIONAL THEORIES IN LIGHT OF ISLAMIC EPISTEMOLOGY

Abstract

Contemporary global educational landscapes rely heavily on the pragmatic models pioneered by John Dewey, which prioritize experiential learning, student-centered pedagogies, and democratic classrooms. However, importing these secularized Western methodologies into traditional, Muslim-majority educational systems without modification often generates ideological friction, owing to fundamentally divergent understandings of truth, metaphysics, and moral authority. This study addresses that tension through a comparative analysis of Dewey’s pragmatic educational philosophy in light of classical Islamic epistemology. Using a qualitative, descriptive, and analytical comparative framework, the research performs a thematic synthesis of foundational texts, evaluating Dewey’s primary educational treatises (Democracy and Education and Experience and Education) against the foundational sources of Islamic pedagogy, including the Holy Qur’an, Prophetic Hadith literature, and the classical writings of Imam Al-Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din. The thematic analysis reveals a strong operational convergence regarding the unity of theory and practice: both Deweyan pragmatism and Islamic pedagogy reject passive, rote instructional methods, and Dewey’s learning-by-doing approach aligns structurally with the Islamic mandate of tying knowledge (Ilm) to righteous action (Amal). Critical boundaries nonetheless emerge. On the nature of truth, Dewey treats knowledge as wholly evolving and utility-dependent, whereas the Islamic model balances fluid experiential knowledge with absolute, unchanging divine and moral truths. On the role of the educator, Dewey frames the teacher as a social facilitator within a democratic space, while Islamic pedagogy elevates the educator to a moral role model (Murabbi) and inheritor of the prophetic tradition. The study concludes that contemporary educational policy and curriculum design can integrate Dewey’s progressive, experiential mechanics, such as project-based learning and interactive problem-solving, without adopting his secular, relativist worldview. By anchoring these practical tools within the moral and spiritual parameters of Islam, curriculum specialists can develop an educational framework that fosters students who are both technically competent and morally grounded