The Influence of Demonstration Methods on Improving Health Knowledge in Islamic Boarding Schools: A Literature Review

Abstract

The high-density environment of Islamic boarding schools, which face various sanitation challenges, requires practical, applicable health education that is easy to implement in the daily lives of students. The demonstration method is considered more effective than the lecture method because it allows students to directly observe, imitate, and practice health skills in real life. This study aims to review the effect of the demonstration method on improving students' health knowledge through a literature review approach. Articles were searched using Google Scholar with keywords related to health, demonstration methods, and Islamic boarding schools. The selected articles were nationally indexed empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025 that met the established inclusion criteria. From this selection process, seven articles were obtained and analyzed using a narrative approach. The synthesis results show that the demonstration method is consistently able to improve the health knowledge and skills of santri on various topics, including genital hygiene, menstrual hygiene management, dental and oral hygiene, personal hygiene, and head lice prevention. Several studies reported an increase in knowledge of more than 90% and a 70% reduction in head lice incidence after the demonstrative intervention was provided. Overall, the demonstration method proved to be effective, applicable, and relevant for use as the main strategy in health education programs in Islamic boarding schools.