Learning to memorize the Qur'an is one of the essential components of Islamic religious education, especially at the elementary level [1]. Students are not only required to be able to memorize the verses of the Qur'an, but also to understand the meaning and practice the values contained in it [2]. However, memorization learning at the elementary school level, including in grade IV, focuses only on memorization mechanically, without a deep understanding of the meaning of the memorized letters [3]. As a result, students are able to memorize verses fluently, but do not understand the essence and value contained in them, making it difficult for them to practice them in their daily lives [4].

Some previous research, such as the one conducted by Fajeri [5], showing that traditional memorization approaches that do not pay attention to the accuracy of the reading of each letter in the Qur'an verses are less effective in shaping the practice of Qur'anic values among students. Other research by Eva'atussalamah [1] also highlighted the importance of proper pronunciation of Hijaiyah letters to the meaning of the letter, because proper memorization and understanding the meaning of the letter also have a significant impact on the daily behavior of students. This shows the need to integrate memorization and understand the meaning of the letter in the process of memorizing the Qur'an [3].

In addition, the rapid development of digital technology in the current era brings new challenges in the learning process [6]. Technology, which should be a tool in increasing learning effectiveness, is often used unwisely [7], causing distraction and decreased students' focus on Qur'an memorization material [8]. Excessive use of gadgets and addiction to social media can distract students from activities that are academic and spiritual in nature [9], including memorization of the Qur'an. In this context, there is an urgent need to integrate technology positively in the learning process in order to help students memorize and understand the Qur'an more effectively.

However, technology also has great potential to be used in learning the Qur'an [10]. A STEAM-based differentiated learning approach (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) offers innovative solutions [11], in utilizing technology to improve the quality of learning to memorize the Qur'an [12]. The STEAM approach allows for more interactive, creative, and tailored learning to each student's needs and learning styles [13]. By utilizing technology wisely through this approach, students will not only be more motivated to memorize [14], but also better able to understand the meaning of memorized letters, as well as internalize them in daily life [15].

In addition, the memorization methods used in various schools are often still uniform, regardless of the differences in students' learning styles, abilities, and interests [16]. Students with good memorization skills may be able to memorize faster, but those with different learning styles or slower learning speeds often lag behind [17]. Therefore, a differentiated learning approach is needed that can accommodate the individual differences of each student [18], while maintaining a focus on improving the memorization of the Qur'an.

One of the letters in learning Islam in grade IV that needs to be memorized is Surah At-Tin. Surah At-Tin reminds Allah to create the best human beings, but only those who believe and do righteous deeds remain noble [19]. The eight verses also contain the meaning of the foundation of faith, morals, and the logic of responsibility [20]. In addition, it can foster gratitude, encouragement to behave well, and the belief that every action will be judged fairly, in line with the goals of the Pancasila Student Profile and the character education curriculum [21].

Memorizing and studying Surah At-Tîn at the elementary level in grade IV instills the foundation of monotheism and morality as early as possible: its verses strengthen the belief in rubûbiyyah (the belief that Allah is the Creator and Sustainer) through an oath over His creation, affirming the principle of human nature that man is created "fi a sani Ḥ taqwîm" (in its best form) so as to foster gratitude and positive self-esteem, as well as teach the concept of hisab that every deed will get a reward or a decrease in degree which is the core of the lesson of faith and fiqh of worship about good intentions and deeds; With a straightforward but profound content, this surah is a practical means to get to know the interpretation, basic tajwid, and values of Islamic character as a whole, enriching the Islamic Religious Education curriculum in the golden age of the formation of children's faith [22].

Research on the memorization of At Tin letters has been carried out before by [23] However, in the research, cooperative methods were used, and did not use STEAM to support learning. Research by [24] highlighting intelligent systems to assist Muslims in reading and memorizing the Quran. In contrast to Muhammad's research, this study emphasizes STEAM-based differentiated learning, which is expected to have a positive impact on the memorization of Surah A-Tin. Meanwhile, the study focuses more on learning Tajweed for the correct reading of letters, using the Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC), by extracting voice features recorded using MFCC and comparing them with the voices of experts stored in the database.

São Paulo [25] He has also conducted research on the application of differentiated learning. However, the research emphasizes that a teacher must apply differentiated learning in order to know the needs of each student to improve academic learning outcomes. The findings do not highlight the refinement learning that can improve the memorization of At-Tin letters, especially when collaborated with technology. Meanwhile, in this study, it will emphasize this.

Some studies indicate that there is still a lack of research on STEAM-based differentiated learning research to improve the correct memorization of the Qur'an. This research is important because of the urgency to optimize the learning process of memorizing the Qur'an at the elementary level, especially in the context of Islamic religious education in the digital era [26]. By utilizing a STEAM-based differentiated approach, this research not only offers solutions to improve students' memorization, but also the meaning of each verse of the Qur'an is essential for students to practice the values contained in it in their daily lives.

This research offers novelty by combining differentiated learning and STEAM approaches to overcome challenges in learning Qur'an memorization. Not only does it focus on memorization, but the study also emphasizes the importance of each letter and verse memorized, something that is often overlooked in traditional methods. In addition, the innovation of this research lies in the positive integration of digital technology in the learning process, which is not only used as an interactive medium, but also as a tool tailored to the individual needs of students. This approach seeks to utilize technology in supporting the memorization process, as well as providing guidance to students in using technology wisely, so that negative distractions can be minimized. Based on the findings of the problems that have been described, the formulation of the problem in this study is How can a STEAM-based differentiated learning approach enhance the effectiveness of memorizing and understanding Surah At-Tin among Grade IV students?

This research uses a methodological approach. Theoretically, this study uses the Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design approach. The problem-solving approach in this study uses STEAM-based differentiated learning to improve the memorization of grade IV students of the Qur'an. First, students are grouped based on abilities, interests, and learning styles (visual, auditory), so that each group gets a customized learning method. Technology will be used wisely through interactive media such as digital applications and educational videos, making learning more engaging and effective. The initial evaluation is carried out to assess student competence with the traditional method, then it is re-evaluated after the application of this approach to measure the improvement of memorization. Education on the positive use of technology is also provided so that students use technology as a learning tool, not a distraction.

This study uses True Experimental Design Type, Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design. The study respondents were divided into 2 groups, namely the experimental and control groups. Detailed Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design is presented in Table 1.

Information:

O1 : Measuring the initial ability (pretest) of the experimental group

X1 : Treatment (application of STEAM-based learning)

O2 : Measuring the results of the post-test of the experimental group

O3 : Measure the initial ability (pretest) of the control group

X2 : Treatment (application of STEAM-based learning)

O3 : Measuring the results of the control group's post-test

The research flow chart is presented in Figure 1.

The explanation of the research steps in the flowchart is as follows:

The sampling techniques used are purposive sampling. Determination of the number of samples using the Slovin formula [27]:

n =

Information:

n = Number of Samples

n = Total Population

e = The desired critical value (margin of error) is 5%

The data analysis technique used to determine the increase uses the N-Gain formula, with the following formula [28]:

Information:

Tpos : average score Posttest

Tpre : average score Pretest

T_max : Ideal maximum score

N-Gain score obtained with these equations can be analyzed in categories using the interpretation table Gain Score [29] :

Based on the results of the pretest, the students' initial ability to memorize the At-Tin Letter was very low in both groups. The average pretest score of the experimental class was 14.50 and the control class was 15.00 (scale 0-100). This is equivalent to less than 2 verses that were successfully memorized correctly out of a total of 8 verses. This shows that both groups have comparable initial memorization abilities and are both still low. None of the students achieved memorization completeness at the pretest stage, so learning interventions were needed to improve memorization results.

After 4 meetings on the implementation of STEAM-based differentiated learning in experimental classes, there was a significant increase in results. The average posttest score of the experimental class reached 91.67, much higher than the control class which was only 69.44. The memorization achievement of students in the experimental class was very high: 3 out of 6 students (50%) managed to memorize 8 verses (score 100), 2 students memorized 7 verses (score 87.5) and 1 student memorized 6 verses (score 75). No experimental student memorized less than 6 verses. In contrast, in the control class only 1 in 9 students (11.1%) achieved memorization of 8 verses (score of 100), 1 student memorized 7 verses (87.5), while the majority memorized partially: 2 students of 6 verses (75), three students of 5 verses (62.5), and two students of 4 verses (50). Thus, the improvement of memorization ability in the experimental class was much better than that of the control class, both in terms of average scores and the distribution of the number of verses memorized. Table 2 compares the pretest and posttest results between the experimental and control classes, including each group's minimum, maximum, and N-Gain scores. N-Gain is a normalized gain that reflects the proportion of increase from the ideal maximum score.

Based on Table 1, the average posttest of the experimental class increased by +77.17 points from the pretest, while the control class increased by +54.44 points. The minimum posttest score in the experimental class (75) was higher than the control class's average, indicating that all experimental students had achieved a good level of memorization. The N-Gain value of the experimental class of 0.90 is classified as high, while the N-Gain of the control class of 0.64 is classified as the medium category. By criteria [29],N-Gain> 0.7 is classified as high, 0.3–0.7 as medium, and < 0.3 low Thus, learning in the experimental class can be said to be very effective in improving memorizationSurat At-Tin, whereas conventional learning in the control class is only quite effective. This difference in the N-Gain category indicates that the STEAM-based differentiated learning approach has a greater impact on improving learning outcomes than the usual approach. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the number of students based on the number of verses that were successfully memorized in the posttest for both groups. It can be seen that the distribution curve of the experimental class shifts towards the maximum score, while the control class is spread in the lower score range.

In Figure 1, it is clear that the difference in the profile of the memorization results of the two groups is clear. All students in the experimental class memorized at least 6 verses or more, with the majority (50%) reaching 8 verses. In contrast, the control class showed lower variation in outcomes; There were students who only mastered 4–5 verses and only 11% of control students managed to memorize 8 verses. This distribution confirms that the implementation of STEAM-based differentiated learning results in more students with perfect memorization and overall promotes even memorization achievement at a high level. Meanwhile, conventional methods in the control class tend to produce mixed outcomes and most students have not yet achieved full memorization.

The significant increase in results in this experimental group is inseparable from the advantages of the learning methods applied. Some of the key factors that contribute to the effectiveness of learning in the experimental classroom include: differentiated approaches according to learning styles, the use of interactive PILAR media, and the integration of the STEAM approach in the learning process. The following will be discussed for each of these contributions.

This study concluded that the differentiated instructional model based on STEAM principles, supported by the interactive PILAR media, significantly enhanced students' memorization of Surah At-Tin in fourth-grade elementary education. The experimental group achieved a mean post-test score of 91.67 with a high normalized gain (N-Gain = 0.90), whereas the control group reached a mean score of 69.44 with a moderate gain (N-Gain = 0.64). The superior results in the experimental cohort were attributed to the alignment of instructional strategies with individual learning preferences, the integration of multimodal STEAM activities that deepened conceptual understanding and engagement, and the affordances of digital media that fostered motivation, self-regulated practice, and recitation accuracy. These findings indicated that a differentiated, STEAM-based pedagogy, augmented by interactive technological resources, constituted a practical approach for optimizing Qur'anic memorization at the primary level. Future research was recommended to examine long-term retention of memorized passages and investigate this pedagogical framework's applicability to other Qur'anic texts or broader religious education settings.

Rina Murtyaningsih: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project administration. Esty Setyo Utaminingsih: Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Investigation. Mohamad Munawar; Mohammad Nurul Qomar & Muhammad K Ridwan: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Investigation.

This research was funded by the RisetMu Program in 2024 under the title “Optimizing STEAM-Based Differentiated Instruction to Enhance the Effectiveness of Surah At-Tin Memorization among Fourth-Grade Students at Elementary School.” The authors express their sincere gratitude to RisetMu for the financial support and commitment to advancing educational research. We would also like to extend our deepest appreciation to the leadership and academic community of Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Muhammadiyah Blora for their unwavering support and facilitation throughout the research process. Special thanks are due to our esteemed colleagues at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, for his valuable collaboration and scholarly input that enriched this study. Lastly, we are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers whose constructive feedback and insightful suggestions greatly improved the quality of this paper.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

This study was generously supported by RisetMu (Muhammadiyah Research).