Cultural Barriers of Islamic Higher Education Students in Indonesia (Differences Between Gender, Ethnicity, Economy Background, and Parental Education)

Abstract

Cultural barriers affect students' academic performance. Cultural barriers reflect the cultural capital of education in the family. This study aims to verify the influence of gender, ethnicity, family economic background, and parents' education level on students' cultural barriers. The approach used is a quantitative approach with t-test analysis, Kruskal Wallis H test, and descriptive statistics. The research uses questionnaires and is distributed online with Google Forms. It uses convenience and snowballing sampling techniques. The study participants amounted to 391 students of Antasari State Islamic University Banjarmasin. This study found that gender, ethnicity, and education level of parents had a significant effect on the level of cultural barriers of students. Economic level or family income did not affect the level of cultural barriers of students. The study recommends future studies to verify the influence of gender, ethnicity, family economic background, and parental education level on student academic achievement by mediating student cultural barriers. In addition, this study suggests that the study be conducted in one country and a larger sample so that generalizations will be broader. Higher education administrators are recommended to provide academic and non-academic support services for ethnic minority students, underprivileged students, and other disadvantaged groups.