The challenges of primary education are wide-ranging. Reading difficulties among early-grade students, children's social behavior, study discipline, family relationships, and social-emotional development are all issues that future teachers need to understand through academic experience and a broader perspective.

This was part of the experience of students in the Islamic Elementary School Teacher Education Program (PGMI), Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training (FITK), UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, as they took part in the International Student Academic Experience (ISAE) 2026 at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia.

During an academic visit to the Centre of Pedagogical Research and Innovation (CPRI), Faculty of Human Development, UPSI, on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, PGMI students presented several studies on problems they encountered in the context of primary education. The event brought together students and academics from two countries in a discussion on education, and gave students the chance to test their ideas outside their home campus.

Event supervisor Andhika Yahya Putra, M.Or, said ISAE is designed to be more than a learning experience abroad. In his view, encountering an international academic environment gives students the opportunity to communicate scholarly ideas, receive different perspectives, and build confidence.

"Students need to understand that being a prospective madrasah ibtidaiyah teacher takes more than teaching ability. They also need to be able to read educational issues from a broader perspective, without losing their Islamic roots, their Indonesian identity, and their sensitivity to culture," Andhika said.

At the International Paper Presentation, six groups of PGMI students presented studies rooted in issues of child development and learning at the elementary level.

Lutfia Soraya Arrosida and Salwa Azzatul Isma discussed parental involvement in addressing early reading difficulties among first graders. Another study, by Rahma Avisa Apsarini and In'ammuzam Wafda Hanum, examined shyness and family dependence in the social interactions of fourth graders.

Meanwhile, Dewi Atma Junira and Siti Uswatun Khasanah studied the relationship between emotional behavior and study discipline, on the one hand, and elementary students' math achievement, on the other. Viona Zulfa Salsabila and Ala Mudin Haqi discussed the influence of student discipline and the family environment on understanding of rights and responsibilities.

Two other groups took up aspects of character development and parenting. Asa Salima and Aminadrian Mustafa presented a study on the formation of religious character through observing the stages of students' moral behavior. Aulia Albirra and Nur Ainiyah Khoirunnisa discussed the impact of parenting conditions on children's social-emotional development and behavior.

This range of studies shows that the issues students raised are closely tied to the realities of primary education. Early literacy, family relationships, discipline, character, and social-emotional development are all part of the challenges teachers face in meeting the diverse needs of their students.

The cross-country experience also took place through cultural exchange. PGMI students performed the Caping Ayu Dance and the Sigulempong Dance in the Cross-Cultural Performance session.

The Caping Ayu Dance was performed by Ganis Triska, Alfu Amalia, Windi Astriana, Itsnaini Halimatussa'diyah, Milkha Nadhifatuzzahroh, and Shaka Tsabita Faza. The Sigulempong Dance was performed by Diniarti, Apra Yuni Amania, Loka Dewi Kalila, Ifo Faujiyah, and Luthfi Nur Arifah.

Efi Tri Astuti, M.Pd, who also served as a faculty supervisor, said the performance was part of the students' experience of interacting with Malaysian students and the academic community. Culture in this context was not treated as a mere add-on to the program, but as a medium for introducing Indonesian identity and building communication in a cross-border educational setting.

Efi said the academic and cultural experiences complemented each other. Students learned not only how education is developed in another country, but also how to see themselves as part of Indonesian society when interacting with the international community.

The visit to UPSI also opens the possibility of more sustained academic engagement. CPRI UPSI expressed hope that the experience would benefit students and the academic communities of both institutions, and could grow into academic cooperation in the future.

For PGMI FITK UIN Sunan Kalijaga, the ISAE 2026 experience shows that the internationalization of education can begin with what is closest to the formation of future teachers: the ability to read problems in schools, develop research, communicate ideas, and learn from different educational environments.

ISAE shows that PGMI students did not come merely to observe educational practices in another country. They brought primary education issues they had studied, tested them through cross-border academic conversation, and learned that becoming an elementary school teacher also means preparing to face an increasingly connected world. (humassk)