Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently the most potent threat to educational systems, a crisis that may become disastrous. For the current study, a qualitative design within a case study tradition was implemented to investigate instructional barriers during COVID-19 faced by Indonesian teachers in Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren). Within this study, we applied a purposeful convenient sampling in which the access was obtained through communication with the principals of two Pesantren. Seven invited participants with more than ten years of teaching experience agreed to participate. Semi-structured interviews were addressed for data collection; each interview lasted from 40 to 50 min. The interviews were conducted in the participants’ mother tongue to provide an in-depth understanding of their perceptions, ideas, and arguments regarding instructional barriers during the COVID-19 outbreak. The thematic analysis revealed three major findings regarding the barriers; technological barriers, financial barriers, and pedagogical barriers affecting instructional activities in the two Pesantren. Based on the three themes, the development of a qualitative conceptual map of teachers’ instructional barriers was finalized. Recommendations are also proposed by the participants and the study for the betterment of Indonesian Islamic education facing future similar outbreaks.

This research aims to describe the urgency of character education for students through the values of local wisdom of the Sasak ethnic group. This research used a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. The subjects of this study were education stakeholders at the East Lombok District Education and Culture Office, such as the Elementary School Development Section, the Curriculum Section, the Educators and Education Staff Section, principals, and educators at elementary schools. Interviews, group observation, and documentation carried out data collection techniques. The research data was analyzed by organizing the data into categories, describing them into units, synthesizing them, compiling them into patterns, interpreting them and making conclusions. The results of this study indicated that character education in elementary schools could be carried out in a "hybrid" way, in which the local government enforces a policy (top-down) on education units to "infuse" wisdom values through all school subjects and activities. In addition, the policies taken must also be aligned with the community's needs regarding the importance of local wisdom values of the Sasak tribe, which must be internalized (bottom-up). Therefore, parents, schools and the government must jointly identify and revitalize the local wisdom values of the Sasak tribe, which will be infused into school culture.

Menjamurnya kehadiran ritel modern Alfamart dan Indomaret di Lombok Timur sejak lima tahun terakhir, memunculkan kekhawatiran banyak pihak terutama para pelaku ekonomi dari kelompok UMKM. Oleh karena itu riset tentang dampak sosial dan ekonomi Alfamart dan Indomaret terhadap UMKM penting dilakukan agar terbangun pemahaman dan kesadaran bersama antara pihak pemerintah daerah dan segenap masyarakat. Metode yang dipergunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah mixed methods, antara penelitian kuantitatif dengan kualitatif, menggunakan strategi metode campuran konkuren. Sampel penelitian sebanyak 400 orang responden yang terdiri 320 konsumen, 8 orang aparatur desa/kelurahan, dan 32 orang pelaku UMKM, mewakili 19 kecamatan dimana beroperasi lebih dari satu gerai Alfamart dan Indomaret. Data kuantitatif dikumpulkan dengan teknik angket dan dianalisis dengan statistik deskriptif dengan bantuan SPSS 2.1, serta analisis bibliometrik. Data kualitatif dikumpulkan dengan metode wawancara dan FGD, kemudian dianalisis dengan teknis analisis model interaktif. Dampak sosial keberadaan Alfamart dan Indomaret di Lombok Timur dalam bentuk perubahan perilaku konsumsi masyarakat yang semakin konsumtif, mampu mengalihkan orientasi berbelanja dari ritel tradisional ke ritel modern, membuat keberadaan dan kondisi UMKM semakin tertekan serta terdesak. Dampak ekonomi keberadaan Alfamart dan Indomaret terhadap UMKM, berkaitan dengan pendapatan dan aktivitas ekonomi yang disebabkan oleh kualitas produk, layanan, akses, dan perilaku konsumen. Dampak ekonomi yang negatif ditunjukkan oleh indikator menurunnya omset penjualan, penurunan pendapatan yang dan menurunnya kesempatan berusaha para pelaku UMKM.