Service Learning [Khidmah] and Students’ Social Intelligence:
Nurturing Khidmah at Islamic Boarding School of Nurul Huda
Malang, Indonesia
Ilfi Nur Diana
1
, Mahrus Afandi
1
and Mokhammad Yahya
1
1
Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang , Jalan Gajayana No. 50, Malang, Indonesia
Keywords: Khidmah, Pesantren Community, Kyai, Santri.
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the social construction of khidmah and its implementation at Islamic
traditional boarding school (pesantren) ‘Nurul Huda’ of Malang City, Indonesia. This research is qualitative
in nature and utilizes social construction of Peter L. Berger and exchange theory of George C. Homans for
analytical foundations. Using in-depth interview and direct observation this study found that khidmah was
comprehended as giving services to others that is constructed through religious teaching, creating narratives,
collective activities that have been done inside the pesantren. Voluntary works outside the pesantren and
the exemplary behaviour of the kyai (Muslim cleric/teachers in pesantren) were also crucial in the
construction process of khidmah and students’s social intellegence. Khidmah is firstly nurtured when an
individual became a santri (pesantren’s students). Being a santri, the person consequently must observe the
pesantren’s rule and regulation wherein the notion of khidmah is embedded and implemented within it. The
factors that support and strengthen the khidmah are (1) the shared belief among the members of pesantren
that their future life success is highly influenced by the serious commitment to the khidmah, (2) the
reflection of the values and norms of khidmah in the behavior of earlier members of pesantren community,
(3) closeness among earlier member of pesantren community and fresh students, and (4) the capability of
kyai and senior santri in conveying the urgency of khidmah. While the restricting factors are mainly the
opposite ones. The absence of those four supporting factors will ruin the implementation of khidmah.
1 INTRODUCTION
The interaction between teachers and students is the
most significant and influential factor in the learning
and teaching process (Aldrup et al., 2018). Despite
its benefits it sometime might also create unintended
consequences such as violence, bullying, and others
as a result of its (negative) interaction. Therefore,
interaction basically is a dynamic social relationship.
It is a matter of a mutual subjective orientation
towards each other. Thus, this social interaction
requires a mutual orientation, by utilizing symbols in
which its meaning is given by the society wherein
they live in (Turner, 1991; Collins, 2014).
In educational institution, teacher and students
are the subjects that determine the quality of their
educational atmosphere. When the interaction
between teacher and students is well maintained,
educational atmosphere will also be conducive for a
better learning process. Every educational institution
inevitably has norms and values that have been
established to create institutional order and ascertain
the best quality of interaction. The educational
institution is also a place for the dialectics between
an individual and societal expectation. The norms,
ethics, or customs committed by school/pesantren—
that every santri is obliged to follow—will be
existed because they have (positive) functions for
the society at large. In the light of functionalist
perspective, things will not exist in a society if their
functions are no longer felt by the society. For
instance, although poverty is one of social problems,
its existence is seem maintained by certain parties.
Because one of its function is that poor people do
jobs that might not get done, while other people
would not want to do them (Gans, 1972).
The problems in (educational) interaction are
mainly caused by the unconsciousness (of educators)
in the urgency of creating a good atmosphere for
interaction and learning process. It can be brought
into reality when strong communication and
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Diana, I., Afandi, M. and Yahya, M.
Service Learning [Khidmah] and Students’ Social Intelligence: Nurturing Khidmah at Islamic Boarding School of Nurul Huda Malang, Indonesia.
DOI: 10.5220/0009928414021412
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Recent Innovations (ICRI 2018), pages 1402-1412
ISBN: 978-989-758-458-9
Copyright
c
 2020 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

collaboration abilities become an essential skill
needed to develop in educational activities.
Therefore, to create consciousness and good
atmosphere for interaction, some educational
institutions have launched a service-learning
program (Cynthia, 2015)
Susan A. Abravanel stated that service-learning
program has been proven as an effective program for
enhancing students’ consciousness about the
urgency of creating good atmosphere in the
interactive process of their life. She asserted that the
success of service-learning does not only depend on
its practice in the school as an educational
institution, but also on the advocacy, support, and
students’ involvement in the society (Susan, 2003).
Pondok Pesantren is Islamic boarding school
focused on religious study found mainly in Java,
Sumatra, and Sulawesi islands of Indonesia. Its
curriculum is emphasized in teaching Islamic
studies, Arabic language and Muslim tradition. Their
core educational goal is to teach students about how
to be a pious Muslim and useful for their society
(Amr, 2006). In achieving their noble ends,
pesantren has come up with the means called
khidmah. Khidmah literally means a piece of work
that must be done. It is act of contribution;
something contributed (help, good deed, money etc.)
(https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/ةمدخ). It is
similar to service-learning program in modern
western school. Unlike the service learning in
modern school that is done in limited and certain
times, this khidmah is implemented during the santri
stays and study at pesantren. It is actually a 24 hr
program in the day of a santri in pesantren.
According to Zamakhsyari Dhofier, pesantren
has five supporting elements for conducting its
educational activities including khidmah activities.
Kyai and santri are human actor who are
reciprocally influential in the interaction process of
pesantren community. Kyai is the leader of
pesantren, he is an essential element in the
pesantren. Therefore, pesantren relies its growth on
personal competencies of Kyai (Zamakhsyari, 2015;
Nata, 2917).
Definition of kyai used in this study is focused
on those who lead pesantren. Because they are
considered as parties that much interact with santri.
Besides kyai, Santri is also one of important
elements in pesantren institution. The short
definition of santri is they that learn Islamic studies
in pesantren. Either they live in pesantren (santri
mukim), or not (santri kalong) (Zamakhsyari, 2015).
Khidmah is service committed by santri—
students of pesantren—for their kyai’s—their grand
teacher and leader of pesantren—or pesantren
benefit. According to pesantren community,
khidmah is considered more important than santri’s
intellectuality. Because they believe that khidmah
can train a santri to has altruistic personality. “It
trains them to be the perfect human—insan kamil”
(Waryono, 2005). But, for those who claimed that
they are supporter of humanist education, tradition
such as khidmah committed in pesantren is one of
examples for teacher-centred learning method in
education that prevents students’ creativity and their
right realization. Even worse, it is considered as
decreasing someone’s esteem (Waryono, 2005).
These different argumentations about khidmah
mentioned above encourage the researcher to
conduct a research about khidmah in pesantren. This
study is conducted at Pondok Pesantren Salafiyah
Syafi’iyah Nurul Huda Mergosono Malang, as one
of traditional (salaf) pesantren in Malang, Indonesia.
This pesantren is chosen as setting of this research
because it has many santri that are studying at
various formal and modern schools or universities.
Through this combination, they enable to experience
educational atmosphere except pesantren
circumstance, and to distinguish educational
atmosphere, particularly about interaction between
students and teacher, between pesantren as an
educational institution and the other formal and
modern educational institutions.
Therefore, the primary data of this study was
collected through in-depth interview with santris and
kyai and direct observation at Pondok Pesantren
Salafiyah Syafi’iyah Nurul Huda Mergosono
Malang.
This study employs two foundations for
analyzing ‘khidmah´ at Pesantren namely social
construction of Peter Ludwig Berger and Exchange
theory of George Caspar Homans (Ritzer &
Stepnisky, 2017). Social construction will be utilised
on how they constructed the concept of khidmah,
how they define and implement that concept at
pesantren. Exchange theory is useful in looking at
the (social) motive and desire in practising khidmah
at the pesantren. Based on this brief introduction this
study therefore is hoped to be able to enrich
pesantren studies, and would be useful for education
stakeholders that have direct relation to pesantren
community for developing its educational concept.
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2 FOUNDATION OF ANALYSIS
2.1 Social Construction Theory
The duty of sociology of knowledge is explaining
dialectic of the self and socio-cultural world. In
social construction theory, if an individual wants to
comprehend something as its essence, he needs to
make the dialectic between knowledge and reality
(Berger, 2013).
“This simultaneous dialectic creates three
positions of an individual toward socio-cultural
world, they are internalization, objectivation, and
externalization” (Bagong, 2010; Laland & Brown,
2017) An individual is considered in the
internalization position when there is social
institution established coercing him or her to identify
his or herself to social institution. It happens because
an individual in the internalization position
considers that social institution or social norms is
well for him or herself based on his or her cognitive
view. Or he or she is constrained by normative
dimension to obey social norms around him or her.
It makes an individual has no opportunity to create a
new reality. Therefore, in the internalization, an
individual is claimed as a product of socio-cultural
world (reality).
Social structure in the society has never been
final a product of social interaction, because social
structure is in the objectivation process to become
new form of internalization that will create the new
externalization process. While externalization is the
opposite of internalization. An individual placed in
externalization considers that socio-cultural world or
reality around him or her does not longer satisfy him
or herself. It makes an individual want to create or
modify socio-cultural world based on his or her
urge. It means an unsatisfied individual with the
condition of the social-cultural world would not
obey the old social institution existed. Therefore, in
the externalization, socio-cultural world or reality
doesn't produce an individual, instead it is product of
individual—or human.
“The legitimation about the most dominating
moment (whether internalization, objectivation, or
externalization), is determined by cognitive and
normative dimension.” (Bagong, 2010; Braithwaite
et al, 2017). Therefore, people who have higher
cognitive dimension and control on normative
dimension will possess domination in this dialectic.
2.2 Social Exchange Theory
George Caspar Homans is one of figures developed
social exchange theory. “This theory looks at
interpersonal relationship as a trade transaction”
(Cropanzano et al., 2017; Bagong, 2010). According
to this theory, a person creates relations to others
because he or she wants to gain profit from those
relations. Generally, this theory looks at the
reciprocal relationship between behavior and
environment consisting of people that reciprocally
influence to each other.
In this theory, “there are three terms that need
to notice; reward, cost, and profit” (Bagong, 2010;
Mulkay, 2014). The reward is everything gained
through the cost. While cost is everything avoided
by people to do, and profit is the result gained from
reward reduced by cost. Social behavior requires
reciprocity existence in the exchange activity. It
means that social behavior requires minimally two
parties participating in the exchange activity that
reciprocally perceive profit given by each other.
From his idea about social behaviour, Homans
developed some propositions to make his study
about social behaviour easier to analyse. Those
propositions are listed as follow:
a. Success proposition
b. Stimuli proposition
c. Value proposition
d. Saturation-loss proposition
e. Approval-aggression proposition
f. Rationality proposition
3 RESEARCH FINDINGS
3.1 Defining Khidmah
Khidmah is defined at Pesantren Salafiyah
Syafi’iyah Nurul Huda as a nation or an act of
giving any service to the teacher and kyai, and that is
related to pesantren. As a spiritual and social action,
khidmah is literally performed for others’ benefit
(others here can be referred to both
institution/pesantren and surroundings) and there is
seemingly no individual interest in it. However, in
the light of social exchange theory, this study has
showed another dimension of their khidmah
performance. The doers of khidmah have actually
realized that they also performed khidmah for their
personal interest even though they did not gain the
immediate benefit from it.
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This realization of more personal and positive
consequences is nurtured through the successful
narration, stories, and living examples that they
heard and observed at pesantren. It undoubtedly has
strengthened and motivated santri to regularly and
voluntarily perform khidmah. The positive impact of
khidmah is also believed by santri through the
process of indoctrination (kitab kuning/ religious
teachings) during their stay at pesantren. During the
indoctrination process, khidmah is thought to be
performed sincerely without hoping any mundane
rewards since the khidmah is solely dedicated to
please God. However, they are also believed that the
more sincere you are (in performing khidmah), the
more worldly benefit you will gain later. These
ambiguous internal and external factors have to
some extent influenced and formed the personality
of santri. This personality interestingly keeps
maintaining santri to perform khidmah in a sincere
way even though there is internal and personal urge
within themselves (at least in their notion and
consciousness).
In the perspective of Islamic spirituality
(tasawwuf), many sufi masters have agreed that road
to God will be experienced through two stages
(marhalah), i.e.: marhalah nafsiyyah, and marhalah
ruhiyyah. The first stage (marhalah nafsiyyah) is
more general than the second stage (marhalah
ruhiyyah), because it is including all salik—people
who are on journey for spiritual growth—including
zuhhad (ascetic people). While the second stage is
specified, it involves all salik, unless zuhhad. Sufis
interpreted struggle in the second stage as khidmah.
They considered that, marhalah nafsiyyah is
completed through the struggle which is committed
by nafs for liberating from rein of herein. While
marhalah ruhiyyah is completed through khidmah
committed by ruh (Sholih, 2012).
The point can be concluded is that the function
of ruh begins when the function of nafs has been
perfected. In the other words, khidmah begins in the
end of struggle committed by nafs. Furthermore, Al-
Manshuri said that, nafs covers ruh by its inclination
to physical universe (al-‘alam al-hissiy), therefore it
has to be trained by struggle (mujahadah) so that it
can be purified, until ruh can be liberated and
ascends through khidmah till reaching its genuine
highest position (Sholih, 2012)
Kyai realized the urgency of this struggle.
Therefore, kyai also acknowledged both sides of
human beings, that should be comprehended as soul
and body, both are interrelated to each other.
Physical behavior of human beings is a reflection of
their soul. Soul intensely determines human beings’
health. Obedience of santri toward their kyai or
pesantren program is sign of innerside of santri.
Kyai implicitly required reciprocal relation between
physical activities (dhohir) and esoteric activities
(bathin). This relation will be running well when the
intention owned by santri is sincerely for seeking
mercy of God.
A santri later, mostly will be forced by society
to give his or her contribution to them. Santri that
well-answer the challenges from society are those
who used to commit khidmah, because they will
have larger motivation and occasion to contribute to
satisfy requirements of society. In addition, khidmah
will give impact to environment where the actor of
khidmah living in the future, when he or she is
engaging with society. A person used to give service
to others would always try to make people around
him satisfied, it is natural sense of an altruistic
person. Only santri used to commit khidmah having
braveness to accept challenge of society around him
or her that has chance to become the special one, an
useful person. An useful person will be looked for
by people, it means he or she would has the greater
occasion to easily integrate into society and gain
bright future. But the point needs to notice is people
committing khidmah are required to commit it
sincerely. Sincerity has to be required by people
committing khidmah. People committing khidmah
are not allowed to hope gaining reward or feed-back
from khidmah they are committing. People
committing khidmah insincerely would not tend to
get anything. Therefore, they should organize their
intention.
A sincere person will tend to be liked by people
around him or her. This person would gain
opportunity to integrate his or herself into society
and work together with society. His or her existence
will be easily accepted by society. That’s all
meaning of statement that life of a sincere person
would be managed well by God. The essence of
useful person is making people happy. Therefore,
the point can be concluded is that an useful person is
a person that can make others happy. When a person
is happy because of other people, he or she will tend
to reward the other people who made him or her
happy.
When a kyai was satisfied, he will pray for
people that have made him satisfy, even because of
simply thing that made him satisfied. Therefore,
santri encouraged to commit any good thing that
they can do. Because they do not know which one of
good behaviours can make their kyai satisfies, they
must believe that the satisfaction of kyai will invite
the satisfaction of the Almighty.
People committing khidmah means that they
give what they possess for the benefit of others. The
point that should be noticed by people committing
khidmah is something behinds khidmah cannot be
guessed. Khidmah is like a secret, it is like planting
something that, later, it will bear fruit. Everything
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can be done by santri as long as they are studying at
pesantren, such as participating on pesantren
activities or engaging on management of pesantren,
helping at kyai’s house, or becoming committee of
event held by pesantren, will be able to be reaped.
The question should be answered when
khidmah is considered as like planting something
can be harvested is related to is it okay if a person
hopes existence of reward from khidmah
committed? In the previous paragraph, there was
explanation about prohibition directed to people who
hope reward from Khidmah they commit.
But, hoping reward is natural sense possessed
by santri just engaged into pesantren community.
But, as long as they engage into pesantren
community, desire of gaining reward from khidmah
they are committing would be lost. Because
pesantren community around them would construct
their understanding about how khidmah should be
implemented.
The existence of reward—and also
punishment—from khidmah committed by santri
becomes motivation for santri just engaged within
pesantren community to commit it consistently.
Although result of khidmah is causality, like
planting that can be harvested, though there are
many different kinds of “harvest”, there are people
falling on feet when they are harvesting, but there
are people cannot gain harvest at the time they want.
Though, it certainly results crop. Its result can be
gained in short-term or in the long-term.
People committing certain behaviour based on
reward or punishment existence would tend to
change their behaviour used to be conducted when
they do not gain reward they hoped, or they get
punishment from behaviour they committed. Result
of khidmah sometimes emerges at the time which is
not appropriate with expectation of the actor.
Consequently, when the actor committing khidmah
based on their desire to gain reward at the time he or
she wants does not gain reward at the time he or she
wants, this person tends to change his or her
behaviour, he or she does not commit it again.
According to pesantren community, people
committing certain action because of reward and
punishment existence are not sincere people.
Therefore, both expectation—for gaining reward and
for avoiding punishment—should be expunged.
Because both expectation would hamper pesantren
community to continuously commit khidmah.
3.1.1 Types of Khidmah
Khidmah has wide dimension when it is
defined. It was proven by varieties of its types. In
the following paragraphs, the types of khidmah in
the pesantren would be explained based on some
indicators that have been indicated by the author:
a. Types of Khidmah Based on Number of the
Actor
1) Communal Khidmah
This type is conducted collectively by all
member of pesantren community. The actor of this
type is encouraged to join conducting khidmah by
people around him or her. When a person does not
follow this encouragement, this person will find
difficulties when he or she wants to affiliate in to
reality around him or her, i.e., pesantren community.
Nature of human beings is having need to affiliate to
their environment and desire to socially accepted.
Therefore, when people around this person commit
khidmah collectively, this person will tend to join
their activity. The examples of this type are ro’an
(cleaning up collectively), engaging in helping event
at the pesantren, and joining management of
pesantren
2) Personal Khidmah
This type refers to khidmah which is committed
personally or privately. It does not require other
people to engage in khidmah, It happens because
there is a person encouraged privately to commit
khidmah. This encouragement is caused by the party
encouraging this person has trusted him or her. In
the other words, a person encouraged to commit
khidmah is considered as the most proper party to
commit this type of khidmah. Therefore, usually
there is certain requirement that has to be fulfilled by
a person committing this type of khidmah.
For example, joining in helping in kyai’s house
requires its actor to be able to be trusted. A person
joining in helping in kyai’s house is required to
maintain anything needs to be concealed. Therefore,
requirements are proper to be presented as selection
for those that have desire to join in helping in kyai’s
house. The other example of this type is massaging
kyai. Not all santri have opportunity to massage
kyai. Those having ability to massage that are
encouraged or have opportunity to commit it. It also
happens to a santri becoming kyai’s driver.
b. Types of Khidmah Based on Character of the Act
1) Obligatory Khidmah
Santri enroll themselves to a certain pesantren
actually means that they are automatically
committing khidmah. In terms of they are obliged to
commit pesantren rules. When they are committing
those rules, it means that they are committing
khidmah. All santri are obliged to obey pesantren
rules. Obedience of santri towards pesantren rules is
an example of this type of khidmah.
2) Voluntary Khidmah
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There is type of khidmah that comes from
initiative of the actor. In the other words, there is no
party that makes it compulsory for the actor. For
instance, cleaning up activity committed personally
without encouragement of the other party. Usually,
voluntary khidmah committed by a person
possessing the pesantren environment that
consequently encourages this person to maintain it
c. Types of Khidmah Based on Motive of the
Actor
1) Khidmah for Gaining Reward
This type of khidmah committed is based on
desire of gaining reward. In the terms of social
exchange theory, it can be classified as success
proposition. According to George C. Homans,
for all action taken by people, if those actions are
frequently rewarded, people would often carry
out those actions. It means success frequency of
certain action influences people’ interest to carry
out the action or repeat it (Homans, 1974)
2) Khidmah for Avoiding Punishment
In addition, there are member of pesantren that
should be encouraged by punishment so that they
commit khidmah. Usually, the actors of this type
do not have desire to affiliate into pesantren
community, it makes values or tradition in the
pesantren cannot be internalized by the actors of
this type. Punishments used to encourage them
so that member of pesantren community, mainly
those who just joined as member of this
community, are willing to act khidmah.
Certainly, there are norms made to encourage
them to commit khidmah, they are
complemented by punishments directed to those
who break those norms.
3) Khidmah Based on Consciousness
According to pesantren community, people
committing certain action because of reward and
punishment existence are not sincere people.
Therefore, both expectation—for gaining reward
and for avoiding punishment—should be
expunged. Because both expectation would
hamper pesantren community to continuously
commit khidmah. If there is no reward they hope
to get when they are committing khidmah, or
there is no punishment befalls them when they
do not commit khidmah, they will not commit
khidmah anymore.
Nevertheless, pesantren community admits
the transition experienced by members of their
community, i.e. by santri, from existence of
expectation for gaining reward and for avoiding
punishment to be pure khidmah acted sincerely.
When santri have arrived at this state, they will
consider Khidmah as their routine. When they do
not commit it, they feel that there is something
spragging. Finally, they will continuously
commit it sincerely. In this stage, in terms of
social exchange by George C. Homans, success
proposition is changed by value proposition.
Khidmah is not considered as transactional
behaviour, but it is considered as valuable
behaviour committed consistently.
3.1.2 Implementation of Khidmah
Implementation process of khidmah in the pesantren
invokes three parties, they are kyai, senior santri,
and junior santri or santri that just joined as member
of pesantren community. Generally, nature of human
beings is that they have the need to affiliate to
others, and socially accepted. But in the other case,
there is a state in which human beings do not have
need to affiliate to others and desire to socially
accepted in the group. In the case of people that have
the need to affiliate to others and socially
accepted—in terms of social construction theory by
Peter Ludwig Berger; internalization of values or
tradition tends to be experienced. While people
having no need to affiliate to others and socially
accepted do not tend to care or even they will reject
existing values or tradition in the group or
community. In the terms of social construction
theory, it is called externalization (Bagong, &
Khusna, 2010)
The influential factor determining whether a
person accepts or rejects existing value or tradition
in the certain community is primary socialization
that has been experienced. It has constructed his or
her stock of knowledge before he or she joins the
community that he or she is currently living in.
Pesantren as site of secondary socialization becomes
the arena confronting result of the primary
socialization and reality in the secondary
socialization.
In this stage, cognitive and normative
dimension determine whether an individual accepts
or rejects existing values or tradition in the
pesantren. Therefore, kyai and existing senior santri
have roles to make an individual just joined as
member of pesantren community willing to
internalize values or tradition, such as khidmah in
the pesantren.
Based on research findings, there are two
models of implementation process of khidmah
carried out by earlier member of pesantren
community to make an individual just joined as
member of pesantren community willing to
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internalize khidmah. The first model is cognitive
indoctrination, and the second is constructing reality
through giving example of khidmah behaviour.
Cognitive indoctrination aims to implant
consciousness of an individual just joined as
member of pesantren community about urgency of
khidmah. This cognitive inclination is committed
through some activities related to presenting advice
and introducing pesantren tradition such as reciting
classical kitabs supporting khidmah existence, such
as Ta’lim Al-Muta’allim and Adab Al-’Alim wa Al-
Muta’allim. Both kitabs mentioned talk about how
the ideal relationship between teacher and student,
including most of moral values relates to the ideal
relationship between teacher and student according
to Muslim community, such as pesantren. If
pesantren community want to mantain tradition of
khidmah, kyai as an authoritative party in the
pesantren environment has to ensure that he should
be a prominent party maintaining pesantren tradition
that support khidmah existence, such as reciting
classical kitab, mainly kitab related to how to act as
learner and teacher among pesantren community. It
becomes occasion for kyai to interpret verbally
explanation about urgency of khidmah in the
pesantren community. Through this cognitive
indoctrination, consciousness of santri just joined as
member of pesantren community about urgency of
khidmah among pesantren community is
constructed. Furthermore, kyai also constructs
reality representing khidmah in the pesantren
through giving example of Khidmah behavior that
can be imitated by sentries. Kyai with the other
member of pesantren community should
simultaneously have good behavior.
For making it understandable easily, Fig 1.
summarizes the implementation process of khidmah
in the pesantren below:
Figure 1: The Implementation Process of Khidmah
in the Pesantrenhis caption has more than one line so it has
to be set to justify.
This implementation process of khidmah in the
pesantren does not always result acceptance
internalization experienced by santri just joined as
member of pesantren community. There are three
results of the implementation process of khidmah
resulted by a confluence between primary
socialization owned by people just joined as member
of pesantren community and secondary
socialization, i.e. pesantren. They are: committing
khidmah based on reward, committing khidmah
based on punishment, and committing khidmah
based on consciousness about urgency of khidmah
owned by the actor.
Figure 2: Confluence of Primary Socialization and
Secondary Socialization in the Implementation Process of
Khidmah.
a. Committing Khidmah Based on Reward
Generally, people just joined as pesantren
community are not directly interesting in activities
considered as khidmah in pesantren. In the case of
people having not yet owned desire to commit
khidmah, reward is useful means for encouraging
them to commit khidmah. In the terms of social
exchange theory, it can be classified as successful
proposition.
Generally, behaviour considered as success
proposition involves three stages. They are carrying
out those behaviours, then gaining reward, and
repeating those behaviours, or another behaviour
which is the same as the behaviour rewarded. There
are three points related to this proposition that
should be noticed, reciprocity, range between
behavior and reward, and a random reward (Ritzer,
2012).
First, something required by this proposition is
reciprocity. But, reciprocity is limited. Although the
increasing reward often enhances action frequency,
sometimes an individual facing to the lack position
to carry out the action. For instance, santri that have
desire for gaining reward because of certain
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khidmah behaviour are not always able to commit it
because they are experiencing bustle outside
pesantren. Second, the range between behavior and
reward influences the repetition frequency of the
behavior in the next time. Short range between
behaviour and reward results frequent repetition of
the behaviour. While long range of both results less
repetition of it. Reward can come in the short-term
or in the long-term. In the case of long-term result,
the actor—committing khidmah only based on
reward existence—tends to change his or her
behaviour when this actor does not gain reward in
the time he or she hopes. When the reward comes in
the long-term, this actor feels that khidmah he or she
committed does not give them any profit. Finally, he
or she does not commit khidmah anymore.
Third, random reward likely frequently creates
repetition of the action, such as gambling. While
giving reward regularly makes boredom feeling for
the actor that causes less repetition of the action.
When khidmah rewarded regularly, the actor of
khidmah would tend to experience boredom, then
this actor would not commit it again. Random
reward is required to awaken willing owned by
people to commit khidmah. Because random reward
is useful means to avoid boredom when they are
required to commit khidmah.
b. Committing Khidmah Based on Punishment
In the pesantren community, there also people
that cannot accept pesantren values or tradition, such
as khidmah. According to Berger, people cannot fit
stock of knowledge they produced from the primary
socialization with values or tradition in the
secondary socialization are in the externalization
position. They tend to act opposite behaviour with
expectation of pesantren community. Finally, rules
of pesantren complemented by punishment is needed
in this case, mainly in the case of obligatory
khidmah. The punishment is provided for those who
break those rules, as normative control committed
by pesantren community to maintain their tradition
or values.
Like khidmah committed based on reward, this
state is also considered as success proposition. It
means that reciprocity, range between khidmah and
its feed-back—in which in this case is punishment—
and random punishment become points need to
notice.
c. Committing Khidmah Based on Consciousness
Committing khidmah motivated by expectation
for gaining feed-back tends to make khidmah does
not become eternal behaviour committed
continuously. Therefore, desire of gaining feed-back
owned by the actor of khidmah—according to
pesantren community—should be left out. Because
possessing desire of gaining feed-back from
khidmah committed will encourage the actors hang
on existing reward and punishment. When there is
no reward they gain, or punishment they get, they do
not commit it.
That’s why all member of pesantren
community are required to commit Khidmah
sincerely. In the other words, they are not allowed to
posses desire gaining feed-back from khidmah they
are committing. There must be effort from people
having early became member of pesantren
community to construct understanding of people just
joined as member of pesantren community about
khidmah, so that they understand urgency of
khidmah existence among pesantren community and
then they can commit it sincerely. This effort needs
role of kyai and senior santri, because they are party
that introduce pesantren environment to people just
became part of them.
The point needs to notice is that well-
continuous behaviour is not committed because of
external factor such as reward or punishment, but it
happens based on consciousness from internal side
of its actor. Consistency based on consciousness is
resulted from dialectic process between reality and
construction of knowledge owned by the actor.
Therefore, constructing consciousness of khidmah
needs support from reality around a person just
joined as pesantren community which is constructed
by kyai and existing mature or senior santri. Of
course, people just joined as member of pesantren
community have knowledge resulted by dialectic
between themselves and reality they faced in a
primary socialization before they entered into
pesantren community as a secondary socialization.
When people just joined as member of pesantren can
accept reality constructed by pesantren community,
they tend to internalize what they find out in the
pesantren environment. According to Berger’s term,
in this case, they are in an internalization position.
An individual considered in the internalization
position when there is an establishing social
institution encourages him or her to affiliate his or
herself into social institution. It happens because an
individual, in the internalization position, considers
that the social institution he or she facing to is well
for him or herself based on his or her cognitive view.
In another case, he or she is constrained by
normative dimension to obey social norms around
him or her. It makes an individual has no
opportunity to create a new reality besides an
existing reality in the pesantren. Therefore, in the
internalization, an individual is claimed as product
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of socio-cultural world (reality). Compatibility
between knowledge owned by people just joined as
member of pesantren community and reality in the
pesantren is usually caused by environment
constructed their knowledge which is the same as
knowledge owned by member of pesantren
community. Finally, they can accept reality that they
face to in the pesantren.
On the other hand, people just joined as
member of pesantren community can accept reality
because they have lack stock of knowledge when
compared with stock of knowledge owned by people
that earlier joined as member of pesantren
community. This state encourages people just joined
as member of pesantren community controlled by
the earlier member of pesantren community.
Consequently, people just joined as member of
pesantren community can be easily indoctrinated
cognitively.
Beside cognitive dimension, normative
dimension also determines people in the pesantren
whether experience internalization or objectivation,
or externalization (Bagong & Khusna, 2010). People
just joined as member of pesantren community
having no interest to commit khidmah can be
enforced by normative rules. They will be
constrained by pesantren rules, consequently they
will get punishment when they do not commit
khidmah. But, punishment makes people just joined
as member of pesantren community only commit
Khidmah based on existing punishment. It means
that when there is no punishment, they tend to leave
khidmah behaviour. Therefore, earliermembers of
pesantren community are required to commit
another way to make people just joined as member
of pesantren community commit khidmah sincerely.
People early joined as member of pesantren
community are required to act good behavior in their
daily activity as representation of khidmah. When
they have lost their consciousness about urgency of
khidmah,people just joined as member of pesantren
community—mainly those who do not have any
experience as santri—will also do not have
consciousness about urgency of khidmah. Therefore,
becoming a prominent party having enthusiasm for
committing khidmah is a must for each senior santri,
because they are party may be imitated by santri just
became member of pesantren community. On the
other words, party mingled by santri just became
member of pesantren community will also determine
whether santri just became member of pesantren
community has consciousness about urgency of
khidmah or not.
Besides santri just became member of
pesantren community encountering reality of
pesantren constructed by people early lived in the
pesantren environment, their knowledge is also
faced to stock of knowledge about khidmah owned
by pesantren community through stories conveyed
by earlier member of pesantren community—kyai
and santri—about previous generation related to
their khidmah for pesantren. Therefore, there are two
sides taken by pesantren community for constructing
consciousness about urgency of khidmah for each
individual in the pesantren environment, they are
reality and knowledge. For the reality side, people
earlier lived in the pesantren provide examples of
khidmah behavior directly to people just joined as
member of pesantren community. They construct
reality making people just joined as member of
pesantren community want to follow what social
institution they are facing to, in this case;
constructed pesantren values, encouraging them to
affiliate themselves to the social institution
constructed by pesantren community.
The desire to affiliate to others and socially
accepted positions people just joined as member of
pesantren community in the internalization position.
An individual in the internalization position
considers that social institution or social norms is
well for him or herself based on dialectic between
his or her knowledge and reality he or she is facing
to. In another case, he or she is constrained by
normative dimension to obey social norms around
him or her. It makes an individual does not have
opportunity to create new reality except reality he or
she is facing to. Therefore, in the internalization
case, an individual is claimed as product of socio-
cultural world. This way enables people just joined
as member of pesantren community to observe how
implementation of khidmah acted by pesantren
community. But, when concept of khidmah is only
shared through this way, concept of khidmah has
little probability to act sincerely by member of
pesantren community.
Therefore, constructing reality is completed by
the second, i.e. constructing knowledge, through
giving advises in various occasions, such as reciting
kitab, chatting, and so on. Those advises conveyed
are related to urgency of khidmah among pesantren
community, how it should be implemented, how it
can be implemented sincerely, how its existence can
be maintained by pesantren community, and so on.
They reciprocally share the concept of khidmah
through these two ways so that all member of
pesantren community have consciousness about
urgency of khidmah, then khidmah can be
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continuously committed by pesantren community
sincerely.
3.1.3 Supporting and Restricting Factors of
Khidmah
The implementation of khidmah needs supporting
factors making khidmah exists among pesantren
community. Those supporting factors are:
a. Member of pesantren community—mainly
those who just joined as member of pesantren
community—believe in the reward and
punishment existence of khidmah.
b. The earlier member of pesantren community
act good behaviour in representing khidmah.
c. Closeness among earlier member of pesantren
community (kyai and senior santri) and people
just became member of pesantren community.
d. Senior santri and kyai have attention and
competence to convey the urgency of Khidmah
to the other member of pesantren community,
mainly those who just joined as member of
pesantren community.
The implementation of khidmah at pesantren
will be hampered when there are factors restricting
the implementation process of it. These restricting
factors are:
a. Pesantren community do not reckon the
existence of reward and punishment because of
khidmah, that causes no humility.
b. Member of pesantren community do not have
good behaviour.
c. There is distance becoming an obstacle to
communicate experienced by member of
pesantren community, such as bustle
experienced by member of pesantren
community—either kyai or santri—outside of
pesantren environment, or the other obstacles
experienced by member of pesantren
community making them cannot engage on
pesantren activities.
d. Less or weak-communication competence
among member of pesantren community.
4 CONCLUSIONS
For maintaining the concept of khidmah in the
pesantren, members of pesantren community are
ordered to have and practise good behaviours
representing the notion of khidmah. Because
exemplifying khidmah behaviour can construct
reality, representing pesantren environment. This
way enables new comers or fresh santris as a
member of the pesantren community to observe how
implementation of khidmah acted and implemented
by pesantren community.
Pesantren community have to conduct and
implement khidmah sincerely. Although the desire
for gaining mundane reward and avoiding worldly
punishment is something natural as owned by people
who just joined as the members of pesantren
community, this desire has to be made disappear. In
order to realize it, all members of pesantren
community have to maintain closeness among
members of pesantren community. Through this
practise fresh santris are able to understand how
khidmah should be implemented. In addition to that,
the senior santris who have lived quite long before
the fresh santris in the pesantren are ordered to have
a good communication and competence, for sharing
the urgency of khidmah in the pesantren, and how
khidmah should be implemented by pesantren
community.
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