This concept paper discusses psychosocial intervention based on Islamic appreciation as an approach to address the risk of educational dropout among daily school students in Malaysia. Although school dropout is often explained through academic, socioeconomic, family, behavioural, and school-environment factors, limited attention has been given to Islamic appreciation as a culturally relevant psychosocial resource for strengthening students' motivation, self-control, emotional resilience, and school attachment. Daily school students are particularly vulnerable because they come from diverse social, economic, family, and religious-practice backgrounds, which may influence their commitment to schooling as well as their appreciation of ibadah, aqidah, and akhlak. Weaknesses in these areas may contribute to absenteeism, disciplinary problems, low self-esteem, emotional stress, and disengagement from school. This paper highlights the importance of Islamic psychosocial intervention, which integrates psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual elements based on Islamic values and teachings. The discussion focuses on the Islamic psychosocial framework of Imam al-Ghazali, particularly his emphasis on tazkiyah al-nafs, soul purification, emotional control, noble character, and strengthening of faith. This approach is significant because it provides a holistic and context-sensitive framework for helping students build resilience, improve motivation, strengthen spiritual well-being, and reduce the risk of educational dropout.
Abu-Raiya, H., & Pargament, K. I. (2015). Religious coping among diverse religions: Commonalities and divergences. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 7(1), 24-33.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1991). The concept of education in Islam: A framework for an Islamic philosophy of education. International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization.
Awang Hashim, R., Lim, H.-E., Jafar, M. F., Suppiah Shanmugam, S. K., & Bukhari, N. (2025). Statistical identification of predictors of dropout in secondary education: Evidence from Malaysia. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 30(2), 643-669. https://doi.org/10.1080/13547860.2024.2306673
Bernama. (2025a, February 4). Primary and secondary school dropout rates decrease overall - MOE. Bernama. https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2389225
Bernama. (2025b, July 30). SiPKPM with AI helps bring thousands of dropouts back into education. Bernama. https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2450986
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Damon, W. (2008). The path to purpose: Helping our children find their calling in life. Free Press.
Halstead, J. M. (2007). Islamic values: A distinctive framework for moral education? Journal of Moral Education, 36(3), 283-296.
King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2014). Culture's consequences on student motivation: Capturing cross-cultural universality and variability through personal investment theory. Educational Psychologist, 49(3), 175-198.
Kitota, A. M. (2023). A systematic review of biomedical and psychosocial factors for suicide: An Islamic perspective. Journal of Quranic Sciences and Research, 4(1), 21-28. https://penerbit.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/jqsr/article/view/13886
Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2013). Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025: Preschool to post-secondary education. Ministry of Education Malaysia.
Mohammad Faisal, N. N., Megat Abdul Rahim, P. R., Mokh Hatta, N. F. K., & Abu Bakar, A. H. (2023). Understanding school dropouts phenomenon among youths through behavioural trends. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 8(23), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v8i23.4474
Nasr, S. H. (2012). Islamic spirituality: Foundations. Routledge.
Ng, S. F., Zakaria, R., Lai, S. M., & Confessore, G. J. (2016). A study of time use and academic achievement among secondary-school students in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 21(4), 433-448. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2013.862733
Noorzally, N. A. M., & Mahmud, M. S. (2023). Challenges faced by mathematics secondary school teachers in managing learning loss: A qualitative study. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 2375-2387. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i2/17270
Rothman, A., & Coyle, A. (2018). Toward a framework for Islamic psychology and psychotherapy: An Islamic model of the soul. Journal of Religion and Health, 57(5), 1731-1744.
Sa'ari, C. Z., Muhsin, S. B. S., Rahman, S. M. H. S. A., Abidin, M. S. Z., & Chik, H. (2025). Islamic psychospiritual as the main pillar of strengthening the biopsychosocial-spiritual component. Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, 10(3), 1525-1539. https://doi.org/10.64753/jcasc.v10i3.2626
Sahin, A. (2013). New directions in Islamic education: Pedagogy and identity formation. Kube Publishing.
Sukenti, D., Tambak, S., & Siregar, E. (2021). Learning assessment for madrasah teacher: Strengthening Islamic psychosocial and emotional intelligence. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(1), 725-740. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i1.552
Tan, M. L. V., Hassan, Z., & Munirah. (2024). Application of Tinto model in explaining secondary school dropout from teachers' experiences in Pasir Gudang, Johor. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 11(12), 541-553. https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2024.11110041
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
UNICEF. (2024). Global annual results report 2024: Goal Area 2: Education. United Nations Children's Fund.
Youth Drop Out in Education: Issues and Factors of Youth Drop Out in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. (2025). Asian People Journal (APJ), 8(2), 246-268. https://doi.org/10.37231/apj.2025.8.2.863
Jamil, N., Azmi, A. H. B. M., & Arib, N. B. M. (2026). Psychosocial Intervention Based on Islamic Appreciation Approach in Addressing the Risk of Educational Dropout among Daily School Students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(5), 698–707.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
