Pedagogical Criteria in Private Islamic Junior Secondary Teacher Selection: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Private Islamic junior secondary schools (madrasah tsanawiyah, MTs) need evidence of applicants’ teaching capability, but selection stages alone do not establish assessment quality. This integrative review examines how pedagogical criteria inform interviews and microteaching. Initial source selection and a documented supplementary search yielded 28 journal articles published in 2022–2026 and one book on human capital theory. Thematic comparison distinguished seven MTs reports from school comparators, assessment research in other settings, and conceptual support. The MTs reports describe eligibility, commitment, and teaching assessments, with limited evidence on scoring consistency and prediction. The synthesis connects instructional needs with criteria, tasks, evidence, and appointment decisions. For example, checking understanding can be explored through an interview about students’ errors and a teaching demonstration requiring a diagnostic question and a response to students’ answers. This pairing is an illustrative proposal, not an observed or validated selection protocol. Islamic values are situated within teaching ethics. The review proposes criterion-level evidence records and a workflow assigning responsibilities from vacancy planning to induction. These proposals have not been empirically tested in private MTs; their relevance, scoring consistency, fairness, predictive value, and practical effectiveness require investigation.