Internalization of Islamic Entrepreneurship Values in Primary School Children in Malaysia

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the process of internalizing sharia entrepreneurial values among elementary school students in Malaysia, to identify the sharia values already possessed by students as a basic capital for entrepreneurship, and to examine the supporting and inhibiting factors affecting the success of this internalization. A qualitative case study approach was employed. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with teachers and students, observation, and documentation studies, then analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing, strengthened by source and technique triangulation. The findings show that the internalization process remains at the value-transformation stage and has not yet reached the value-transaction or trans-internalization stages, due to the absence of a structured sharia entrepreneurship curriculum or practice. Students already possess foundational values such as honesty (ṣidq), trustworthiness (amanah), responsibility, justice, and social care (ta'awun), although these values have not yet been specifically directed toward entrepreneurial activity. Supporting factors include students' enthusiasm, routine moral education, and teachers' commitment as role models, while the main inhibiting factors are the absence of a curriculum, limited learning media, and the lack of contextual sharia entrepreneurship practice. The study concludes that an experience-based sharia entrepreneurship learning model is needed so that students' existing values can develop into a fully realized Islamic entrepreneurial character