From Individual Preference to Collective Choice: A Case Study of Parents at SDIT Al-Marhamah

Amiruddin Amiruddin; Asrul Asrul; Yusba Alhamda Syari

doi:10.71039/istifham.v4i3.232

Authors

Amiruddin Amiruddin IAIN Langsa, Aceh, Indonesia
Asrul Asrul IAIN Langsa, Aceh, Indonesia
Yusba Alhamda Syari SDIT Al-Marhamah Langsa, Aceh, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71039/istifham.v4i3.232

Keywords:

parental school choice, integrated Islamic school, religious orientation, institutional trust, collective choice

Abstract

Studies on parental school choice generally emphasize individual motivations and determinants, while the process by which personal preferences develop into collective choice patterns remains insufficiently examined. This study analyzes how parents’ preferences for SDIT Al-Marhamah are shaped, socially validated, and reinforced within family and community networks. Employing a qualitative case-study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis involving five parents, the foundation chairperson, the school principal, and two teachers. The data were analyzed thematically and validated through source and technique triangulation and member checking. The findings demonstrate that religious orientation provides the initial foundation for school choice, while the integrated curriculum and expectations of character formation translate such values into concrete educational considerations. Religious habituation, teacher exemplarity, school safety, and responsive communication subsequently generate institutional trust. Parents’ experiences are circulated through recommendations from families, other parents, alumni, and community members, transforming personal evaluations into shared social references. This study conceptualizes collective school choice as the convergence of value-based individual judgments mediated by institutional trust, reputation, and social networks.

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