Islamic Education and Moral Development in Moroccan Secondary Schools: A Mixed–Methods Examination of Students’ Classroom Experience and Value Internalization

This study explores the role of Islamic Education in fostering moral development among secondary-school students in Morocco, with a particular focus on how learners internalize spiritual and ethical values through their classroom experiences. Although Islamic Education is theoretically designed to promote holistic character formation, empirical research examining students’ actual perceptions and lived experiences remains limited in the Moroccan context. To address this gap, the present study adopts a sequential mixed–methods design, drawing on quantitative data from 232 participants, complemented by qualitative insights derived from open-ended responses.The survey assessed four key dimensions: spiritual engagement, moral internalization, pedagogical effectiveness, and the curriculum’s relevance to contemporary issues. The findings reveal strong positive trends: approximately 85% of students reported enhanced spiritual connection and increased emotional tranquility during Islamic Education classes. Similarly, 78–82% indicated noticeable improvements in their daily ethical behavior. However, indicators related to critical thinking and dialogic engagement were comparatively weaker, suggesting a continued dominance of lecture-based pedagogies.The qualitative data further illuminate three overarching themes:(1) the influential role of the teacher as a moral exemplar;(2) the persistent gap between theoretical religious knowledge and real-life ethical application;(3) a strong student demand for modernizing the subject matter and linking it to contemporary realities, particularly issues such as digital ethics, environmental responsibility, and social justice.Overall, the study concludes that Islamic Education possesses significant transformative potential when it shifts from traditional, didactic instruction toward reflective, interactive, and experience-based learning. The findings contribute to global debates on religious pedagogy and moral education by highlighting how value internalization emerges from the dynamic interplay between spiritual depth, classroom practice, and contextual relevance.