The Effect of Multimedia Use and Teaching Methods on Learning Motivation in Islamic Astronomy among Students at a Modern Islamic Boarding School

Abstract

This study examines the influence of multimedia use and teaching methods on students’ motivation to learn Islamic astronomy (Ilmu Falak) at Pondok Pesantren Modern Islam Assalaam Surakarta, Indonesia. Ilmu Falak is a discipline that integrates religious doctrine, mathematical computation, and empirical astronomical observation, making it one of the more demanding subjects in the Islamic boarding school curriculum. A quantitative survey approach was employed with 44 students selected through simple random sampling from a population of 80 students who actively participated in the Ilmu Falak program. Data were collected using a 50-item Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed through multiple linear regression, incorporating validity and reliability testing, normality, linearity, heteroscedasticity, and multicollinearity checks. Results indicate that multimedia use has a positive and statistically significant effect on learning motivation (t = 2.773, p = 0.008), whereas teaching methods show a positive but statistically non-significant effect (t = 0.831, p = 0.411). Tested simultaneously, both variables demonstrate a strong and significant joint effect on learning motivation (F = 37.815, p = 0.000), with a coefficient of determination of R² = 0.648, explaining 64.8 percent of the variance in motivation. These findings suggest that multimedia serves as a critical predictor of learning motivation in Ilmu Falak, most likely because visual and observational media reduce the cognitive difficulty of abstract astronomical concepts. The results carry implications for how modern pesantren should design instruction by integrating purposeful media selection with varied and dialogic pedagogical strategies.