Analysis of Factor Affecting the Selection of Communication Media as a Source of Health Information

1. Introduction

Public health issues that have occurred in the last ten years attracted attention, increased anxiety and made the world community panic. The emergence of the human metapneumovirus (hMPV) disease outbreak in China and Malaysia has raised public concerns about a new pandemic. This Its reminds that global community of the impact of Covid-19 massive impact has affected almost all aspects of people's lives. The world is rendered helpless in the face of the alarming global threat. On the global scale, as of August 20th, 2020, Covid-19 had infected more than 22,427,054 people in 231 countries and killed 788,015 people (Worldometer.info, 2020). The high death rate has caused the Covid-19 outbreak to become one of the biggest health crises in the last 50 years (Hanifi, 2020). In Indonesia, on the same date, data showed that there were 147,211 positive cases of Covid-19 spread across 34 provinces and 424 districts (GTPPC, 2020), and 6,418 of them died (www.covid-19.go.id, 2020). The uncontrolled transmission has forced people to adapt to new habits, including Indonesian Islamic boarding schools. Pesantren have many distinctive habits such as communal traditions, the desire to always be close to the Kyai (the head and teachers of the Pesantren), Istighotsah, Khaul (commemoration of the death of the Kyai of the Pesantren), joint Quran recitation, Batsul Masail (group discussion about certain sharia laws), Sholawatan assemblies (gathering to pray for and praise the Prophet), and the habit of interacting with each other. Due to the pandemic, all special activities involving mass gatherings had to be postponed or restricted. For the time being, Pesantren administrators have to limit or change the habits that have been practiced for decades as customs. Moreover, in several Pesantren, a fairly high transmission of Covid 19 has occurred and is categorized as new clusters (Nua, 2020). As of December 2020, according to data from the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) submitted by Ulun Nuha, the Head of the Rabithah Ma'ahid Islamiyah Coordination Unit of PBNU COVID-19 (RMI), there were around 112 Islamic boarding schools with more than 5,000 students and Kyai who are positive for Covid -19, and there were 234 Kyai and NU figures who died during the Covid-19 pandemic (Iskandar, 2020). This number continued to grow so that in July 2020, there were 584 Kyai who died (Al-Ghifari, 2021). The Ministry of Religion also reported that 723 Kyai died during the pandemic (Pangaribowo, 2021). This is in line with the statement of the chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council in the field of economics which released that there were around 900 Ulema and religious leaders who died (Permana, 2021). Islamic boarding schools are considered as communities that are vulnerable to being a cluster of the spread of Covid-19, so Pesantren must really pay attention to health protocols (Mukhtar, 2020).

The habit of communal life patterns and traditions that prioritize face-to-face communication is a serious challenge for pesantren in adapting and following the health protocols. The pattern of interpersonal communication that has been deeply implemented in Pesantren is making it vulnerable to the spread of Covid-19. Moreover, according to some parties, Pesantren is considered less responsive to the development of the situation in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. This causes Pesantren to be considered unprepared to anticipate and contribute to modern life (Madjid, 1997). This claim contradicts the fact that many Pesantren is dynamic and keep up with social changes, as stated by (Horikoshi, 1990), that "an institution can't survive for so long without adjusting to the changes that occur". It is undeniable that the ability of Pesantren in transmitting knowledge and values ​​to their congregations has made it the oldest educational institution in Indonesia to continue to develop to date (Wahid, 2021). Horikoshi and Alissa Wahid's statements show that Islamic boarding schools have an attitude of openness to adapt to the demands of social change, including in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic that is taking place around the world.

Studies on media as a source of information have been widely carried out including (Amidu, K., Harrison, J. and Olphert, 2016; Bitso & Fourie, 2014; Bukhari, Hamid, Ravana, & Ijab, 2018; Dankasa, 2017; Hasan & Haron, 2019; Mead et al., 2012; Ramdhani, Prijana, & Rodiah, 2017; Saleh & Sadiq, 2012), (Anharrel, 2020), and (Gebru, Yared, & Gebremichael, 2017). Studies related to public health behavior include those carried out by (Muto, Yamamoto, Nagasu, Tanaka, & Wada, 2020) in Japan, (C. Liu & Liu, 2020), and (P. L. Liu, 2020) in China, (Ebrahim Ah et al., 2020) in Bahrain, (Moreno, Fuentes-Lara, & Navarro, 2020) in Spain (2020), (Pfeiffer, Li, Martez, & Gillespie, 2018) in San Bernardino (2018), (Gäbler, Lycett, & Hefti, 2017) in Austria, (Brewer, Robinson, Sumra, Tatsi, & Gire, 2015) in England (2014), and (Wiyane & Mansur, 2021) in Indonesia.

The studies mentioned above have not discussed much about the use of communication media as a source of information in the pandemic situation in religious communities. Based on the facts above, research exploring the use of communication media as a source of information in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren) is feasible. This study aims to provide an overview of the relationship between socio-cultural environments, types of Pesantren, and the communication media used as a source of information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. This research was conducted in four Pesantren in three different areas, namely: rural area, mountainous area, and urban area. The selection of the four Pesantren in Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta with different socio-cultural environments is expected to represent the selection of communication media as the information source on the public health

2. Theoretical and Literature Reviews

Referring to the dimensions of media analysis, studies on the use of communication media as a source of information can be traced to several micro-level theories, namely the relationship between media and audiences, especially those that emphasize individual and group effects as a result of interaction with the (Rahim, 2016). These theories include the Media Dependency Theory and the perspective of encounters with the Media, both proposed by Melvin DeFleur and Sandra Ball Rokeach (DeFleur & Rokeach, 2000). Media dependence theory assumes at least two things, namely: First that audiences depend on information coming from mass media to meet their information needs and achieve certain goals from the mass media consumption process, but the level of dependence is not the same for all media, and second, that audiences also depends on the social conditions in the environment where they live. Thus, there are three components, namely audiences, media systems, and social systems that are interrelated with one another, although their nature varies from one community to another (Bungin, 2014). These differences will affect the way audiences choose media. Thus, what creates dependence is not the source of mass media but social conditions (Sambas, 2015).

The perspective of an encounter between media and audiences assumes that several factors influence individual reactions to the media, namely: individual personal-psychological organization such as biological potential, attitudes, values, beliefs, and experiences; social groups to which the individual belongs; and interpersonal relationships in the process of receiving, managing, and conveying information. According to DeFleur and Rokeach, the perspective of audience encounter with the media can be explained based on several theoretical frameworks, namely: The Individual Difference Theory, The Social Category Theory, The Social Relationship Theory, and The Cultural Norms Theory.

Individual Difference Theory believes that media audiences will selectively pay attention to a communication message if the information conveyed by the media is by their needs, attitudes, beliefs, and values. Referring to the uses and gratification theory introduced by Palmgreen, these needs, attitudes, and values can be fulfilled, one of which is by consuming mass media media (S. W. Littlejohn & Foss, 2005) as a source of information. Because the concerns, interests, beliefs, and values ​​held by each individual are not the same, their selection ability regarding mass media will also be different. The audience is assumed to actively use the media to meet their needs. This theory also assumes that attitudes and personal psychological organization of individuals will determine how individuals choose stimuli from the environment and how they give meaning to these stimuli. Each individual has different biological potentials, learning experiences, and environments that cause differences in their media consumption. The main assumption of the theory of individual differences is supported by (S. Littlejohn, Foss, & Oetzel, 2016) who find that the audience's choice and support for entertainment and information are determined by demographic and psychological factors. This cannot be separated from the assumption of the limited effect paradigm which states that although the same message is delivered to the audience through the same mass media, each member of the audience will receive and interpret media messages in a variety of different ways. Since media audiences are heterogeneous and have different information needs, socioeconomic and personal backgrounds are essential to consider.

In contrast to the theory of individual differences, social category theory focuses on social groups that exist in a society where reactions to certain stimuli are relatively similar. These social groups can be based on age, gender, education level, income level, residence, political preferences, and religious beliefs. Individuals belonging to a particular community will tend to choose the media and content of communication and give relatively the same response in almost the same way. The theory of social groups seems to be related and complementary to the theory of social relations which emphasizes the importance of the role of informal social interactions in influencing individual reactions to mass media (Rakhmat, 2011). That is why the media audience segmentation was created, to meet the interests and needs of the audience. Meanwhile, the theory of cultural norms emphasizes the effects of media which not only have a direct effect on individuals, but also affect the culture, collective knowledge of norms, and values of a society. The media present a set of images and evaluations that audiences can choose and make reference to their behavior. Therefore, the audiences will tend to avoid information that is not following their "image of reality," because it is considered to be harmful to themselves.

The theory of individual differences, theory of social groups, theory of social relations, and theory of cultural norms mentioned above are widely used as the basis of various studies on the use of communication media as a source of information. Saleh and Sadiq (2012), conducted a study to understand why scholars in Borno Nigeria seek information, how they seek information, and what influences their information-seeking behavior. To achieve this, Saleh conducted a survey using a questionnaire with the main objective of investigating the effect of the denominational and sectarian affiliation on the information-seeking behavior of 284 people representing 973 Ulema in 27 states of Borno, Nigeria. The study identified the presence of various religious groups in Borno and highlighted their preferred sources of information and the various search strategies they use to search for information. The most important finding of this study shows that denominational and sectarian differences do not affect the way Ulema seek information to carry out their role, but their interpretation of Islam according to sectarian and doctrinal beliefs has more influence on their da'wah, counseling, administration, and leadership roles.

In contrast to Saleh's findings which emphasize internal factors as the cause of information seeking, Dankasa and colleagues conducted a study to know the influence of social and environmental factors on the choice of sources of information for Catholic clergy in Northern Nigeria (Dankasa, 2017). Through a combined research approach using in-depth interviews with 15 clergies and a survey using a questionnaire to 109 respondents, Dankasa shows that contextual factors such as culture, geographical environment, and status as clergy are related to information seeking. Broadly speaking, the findings of Dankasa’s study show that cultural background, geographical environment, and social status as a clergy contribute to information-seeking behavior. Geographical factors, culture, and status as clergy have an effect on decisions about the choice of information sources used to meet information needs. This finding contributes to research on the influence of several contextual factors, especially religious status, on information-seeking behavior.

The results of the two studies above are complementary. This can be seen from Saleh's findings which emphasize more on internal factors as the variables that influence information seeking, while Dankasa's study finds that external factors such as geographic environment, culture, and social status contribute more to the selection of media to meet information needs. The results of Dankasa's research are in line with the theory of Encounter with the Media as introduced by DeFleur and Rokeach above.

The influence of the socio-cultural environment on information-seeking behavior was also found by Ramadhani and his colleagues in their study related to the context of information technology development (Ramdhani et al., 2017). Through the study entitled The Relationship of Information Seeking Behavior with the Use of Islamic Da'wah Lines, Ramadhani tried to identify the relationship between information-seeking behavior and environmental activities as a determinant of the use of social media with Da'wah characteristics through a survey by distributing online questionnaires to 250 respondents who were Syamil members of Padjadjaran University. The most important finding of this study shows that information-seeking behavior and environmental activities of the Syamil members have a significant relationship with the use of Islamic Da'wah line accounts. Meanwhile, the need for information only has little relationship with the use of the Islamic Da'wah Line account.

In the field of health behavior in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, Muto and colleagues conducted a study entitled Japanese citizens' behavioral changes and preparedness against COVID-19: An online survey during the early phase of the pandemic (Muto et al., 2020). Through the study, they highlight several research findings that deserve attention. First, this study reports that around 85 percent of respondents have practiced physical distancing strategies as recommended by the government. Demographic factors seem to have a significant influence, in which the data shows that women and older respondents are relatively more obedient and disciplined than men and younger respondents. Second, the habit of washing hands has been carried out by 86% of respondents with 92% of whom are women and 87.9% being people over 40 years old. Third, there are about 20% of respondents who have not been disciplined and are reluctant to implement preventive measures as suggested by the government. The characteristics of this group are men under 30 years old, single, coming from low-income households, having a drinking or smoking habit, and having more extraversion scores. Based on these findings, Muto suggested that to prevent a wider spread of Covid-19 infection, education is essential, and the government needs to encourage people who have not been disciplined in various ways to change their behavior under government recommendations.

In China, Liu and Liu's study entitled Media Exposure and Anxiety during Covid-19: The Mediation Effect of Media Vicarious Traumatization explores the relationship between media exposure and anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic, and highlights the mechanisms underlying the impact of media mediation on increased trauma due to social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic  (C. Liu & Liu, 2020). The results showed that four types of media (official media, commercial media, social media, and international media) caused different levels of trauma to the audience. The direct and high impact of mediation occurs on audiences that are exposed to commercial media and international media, while the effects that occur due to exposure to official media and social media are relatively indirect. The study also found that audiences living in cities, with relatively high levels of pandemic and vulnerability, tended to be more traumatized by information from commercial media than those living in the city of Hubei. The rapid and innovative advances in digital technology also provide opportunities for health education to improve prevention against the possibility of being infected with Covid-19. Liu's study shows that consumption of digital media (social media, social networks, online news media, and digital streaming services) is associated with the practice of Covid-19 infection prevention such as washing hands with soap, wearing masks in public spaces, and avoiding crowds.

Not only in Asia but studies on information-seeking behavior in the context of a pandemic have also been carried out in the Middle East. Ebrahim, Saif, Buheji, Al Basri, Al-Hasani, and Jahrani conducted a study entitled COVID-19 Information Seeking Behavior and Anxiety Symptoms among Parents in Bahrain (Ebrahim Ah et al., 2020). The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between information-seeking behavior and symptoms of anxiety during times of uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study's main findings showed that during the COVID-19 outbreak, about 18% of older people had moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety. The main purpose of seeking information about COVID-19 is to find out how to apply the correct self-quarantine procedure in case a family member is infected. The most widely used sources of information or media on COVID-19 information are social media accounts owned by health organizations. This study also shows that exposure to information about COVID-19 is significantly associated with anxiety levels. Even so, 75% of the respondents said they were satisfied with the existing media as a source of information about COVID-19. It is for this reason that the researchers suggest that during the epidemic, educational activities to strengthen measures that encourage proper information-seeking behavior and help manage anxiety levels in the elderly should be a priority.

Studies on information-seeking behavior and the media used as a source of public information related to the Covid-19 pandemic were also carried out in Spain by Moreno, Fuentes-Lara, and Navarro (Moreno et al., 2020). The purpose of their study was to find out the way media types and information sources influence people's information-seeking behavior, and how the citizens perceive the government's crisis response strategy during the pandemic. An important finding of the study shows that respondents use several media and platforms as sources of information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, namely: television (86.2%), WhatsApp (77.6%), online newspapers (75%, and radio (42.6%). Three of the four most widely used information channels are mainstream news media, while WhatsApp occupies the second position as a source of information related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Those who rely more on mainstream news media for Covid-19 information, in general, have a positive perception of the government's communication strategy, while critical respondents have a perception that the government only has little reliable information.

The role of religion and religiosity in public health behavior has also come to the academicians’ attention. Pfeifer and colleagues, for example, through their study entitled The Role of Religious Behavior in Health Self-Management: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study, revealed how religiosity affects health behavior among residents in San Bernardino, one of the areas with the worst health rates in the state of California, United States of America (Pfeiffer et al., 2018). Referring to the Integrated Health Behavior Change Theory, the community-based participatory research using mixed research methods aimed to find out how the skills and abilities required to become meta-cognitively active individuals in religion and how religious behavior affects citizens' health behavior. The results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between religious behavior and healthy eating behavior. However, the relationships were identified within the religious activities where the respondents were involved, either individually or in groups.

Similar findings can also be seen in research on the relationship between religious orientation and health behavior (Gäbler et al., 2017). In their study entitled Association between Health Behaviors and Religion among Austrian High School Pupils – A Cross-Sectional Survey, Gabler included religious orientation as an independent variable and health behavior as the dependent variable to examine the relationship between religious orientation and health behavior in adolescents in Austria. The important findings from this study indicate that religious orientation has a positive and significant influence on food choices and healthy eating patterns. On the other hand, religious orientation also has a negative relationship with risky behaviors in the health factor such as smoking and drinking alcohol. 

Brewer specifically highlights how religious social support and religious coping influence health behavior (Brewer et al., 2015). The research is based on the idea that the specific aspects of religion that are capable of influencing public health behavior are not yet fully understood. For this reason, Brewster and colleagues conducted a study that focused on the impact of religious social support and religious coping on health behavior, health status, and attitudes toward health by controlling the age and non-religious social support. The most important findings of his study showed that religious social support and religious coping had a positive impact on respondents' reported health status, depression, health prospects, and resistance to vulnerability. However, negative religious coping is predicted to increase alcohol consumption.

Based on the literature review and theories described above, the conceptual framework of this study can be described as follows:

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of this study, with the socio-cultural environment, types of pesantren, and education levels as the independent variables, and communication media as a source of information on the public health as the dependent variable.

3. Research Method

This study is descriptive-analytic with quantitative methods and was carried out using surveys. The research locations in the three pesantren were determined using the purposive area sampling technique, while the participants were selected using a purposive maximum variation.

This study involved 100 participants from the 3 types of pesantren in Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. This was done to represent the different socio-cultural environments and types of the pesantren. The diversity of participants was reflected in the various positions and roles of the respondents that included: caregivers, managers, the Covid-19 task force of the pesantren, and student representatives. Based on this reference, the four pesantren selected were the Al-Qur'an Study Institute (LSQ) Ar-Rohmah in Yogyakarta, Pesantren Ma'ahidul Irfan and Al-Asnawi in Magelang, and Pesantren Al-Iman Bulus in Purworejo, Central Java.

The pesantren were selected by considering several aspects. First, geographical location, pesantren in urban areas were represented by LSQ Ar Rohmah Yogyakarta, pesantren in the mountains were represented by Pesantren Maha'idul Irfan and Al Asnawi in Magelang, and pesantren in rural areas were represented by pesantren Al-Iman Bulus Purworejo. Second, the types of pesantren based on the curriculum: purely teaching traditional books (salaf), modern books (Khalaf), or specific subjects. Pesantren Al Asnawi and Mahaidul Irfan are the representations of traditional pesantren (salaf) which are dominant in teaching a pure curriculum of salaf books. Pesantren Al-Iman Bulus combines and integrates classical book teaching and modern curriculum through the management of Diniyah education (elementary education), Tsanawiyah (junior high education), Aliyah (senior high education), and Mahad Aly (higher education). LSQ ar-Rohmah focuses its studies on the Qur'an and modern books. Third, all of these pesantren generally organize offline/face-to-face learning models, so they are considered areas/communities that are vulnerable to being affected by the spread of Covid-19 infection. Fourth, all of these pesantren have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The qualitative data were obtained through observation, interviews, focus group discussions, and documentation. Observations were performed to observe the pesantren’s condition in adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was done by visiting the pesantren to see the daily lives of the residents, posters related to the Covid-19 health protocol, the availability of health facilities such as hand sanitizers and handwashing facilities, interaction processes, and communication between pesantren residents, and communication media available in pesantren. Unstructured interviews and focused group discussions were conducted with research informants, namely pesantren caregivers, teams/task units for handling and controlling the Covid-19 pandemic, and representatives of students. Interviews were conducted to obtain information about pesantren policies related to socio-religious activities and the use of communication media to obtain information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To obtain data on the use of media as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic, a quantitative approach was carried out through a survey with some respondents  (Morrisan, 2012) and using a questionnaire as the main instrument (West & Turner, 2007). The data analysis was carried out using the symmetric measures technique and chi-square test with the help of SPSS program version 25 with the following formula:

with degrees of freedom:  (R-1) (C-1)

4. Finding and Discussion

4.1 Types of Islamic Boarding Schools and Socio-Cultural Environment

As described above, this research was conducted at pesantren in three areas in the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java that represent urban, mountainous, and rural areas. Broadly speaking, pesantren institutions at present can be grouped into two major groups, namely pesantrensalaf (traditional) and pesantren Khalaf (modern).

Pesantren salaf refers to Islamic educational institutions with the teaching of classical Islamic books (turret) as the core of the educational curriculum. The form of the madrasa is used only to facilitate the sorogan system used in the old form of recitation institutions, without introducing the teaching of general knowledge (Wahjoetomo, 1997). Pesantren salaf as a center for studying the education of the Islamic generation is still considered inadequate in terms of facilities and infrastructure (Yuli, Haningsih, & Adikrishna, 2011). On the other hand, pesantren Khalaf (modern) is characterized, among others, by the adaptation of the general knowledge in the pesantren’s curriculum, although in practice, some pesantren Khalaf still maintains the salaf system. In addition to these two types, recently, there are also been types of pesantren that focus more on studies in certain fields or segments such as pesantren for college students, entrepreneurial pesantren, or pesantren Al Qur'an.

This study found that pesantren Al-Asnawi and Maha'idul Irfan, both located at the foot of Mount Sumbing, Bandongan district, Magelang regency, Central Java, are salaf type pesantren. Pesantren Al-Asnawi I which was pioneered in 1934 AD by KHR. Asnawi adopts a blended education system, which combines boarding education with intensive, open, and moderate Arabic teaching without eliminating the Islamic characteristics. Discipline and simplicity are applied in real life in the pesantren and community environment. The management of education and teaching, as well as the daily activities of students, are carried out by Gus, the sons of the pesantren owner and caretakers, assisted by ustadz with educational backgrounds from various pesantren Salafiyah. Most of them live in the pesantren and fully supervise and guide students in the process of teaching, learning, and caring activities for the students. Currently, this pesantren has 600 students and makes classical books the main reference in its learning curriculum. These books include Tawhid, Tajweed, Arabic, Nahfu Sharaf, Fiqh, Mushthalahil Hadith, morality, and Al-Qur'an-Hadith.

Pesantren Ma'ahidul 'Irfan which is located not so far from pesantren Al-Asnawi also maintains its characteristics as a pesantren Salaf. This pesantren was founded by KH. Abdul Karim and KH. Sholih in 1885 AD and is one of the oldest pesantren in Magelang district. In addition to managing social-educational institutions, this pesantren also manages the publication of religious books/books, brochures, and magazines. The main classical books that are used as its references include: Tafsir Jalalain, At Targhib Wat Tarhib, Adzkar An Nawawi, Hujjah Ahlussunnah Wal Jama'ah, Tafsir Al Ibriz, the Book of Al Munjiyyat, Risalatul Qudsiyyah, At Tarbiyyah, Nihayatuz Zain, the Book of Al Barzanjy, and the Book of Mujamma.

Both pesantren are surrounded by almost the same socio-cultural environment. The feel of the mountains, cool, peaceful, and natural is dominant in that it surrounds the atmosphere of the pesantren. Interpersonal communication is still very visible and almost everyone knows each other, especially the Kyai, caregivers, and pesantren staff. Religious activities such as congregational prayers, reciting the Qur'an, and istighosah are still being carried out, although not as frequent as before the Covid-19 pandemic. Visits from outsiders and families of the students are also still ongoing, although with stricter health protocol procedures.

The modern type pesantren in this study is pesantren Al Iman Bulus Gebang, Purworejo. This oldest pesantren in Purworejo regency, which was originally named Al Islamiyah, was founded during the Diponegoro war, precisely in 1828 AD / 1243 H, by Kyai Ahmad Ngalim on a waqf land complex covering an area of ​​12,506 m2. Today, the pesantren which is surrounded by a typical Javanese rural atmosphere has a population of 3,133 people consisting of 2,555 general students and 578 post-Aliyah students from Purworejo, Kebumen, Wonosobo, Magelang, Semarang, Banyumas, West Java, and outside Java. The daily activities of this pesantren are integrated with the dynamics of the surrounding community. It also adopts an integrated curriculum system through the educational levels of: Roudhoutul Athfal, Madrasah Ibtidaiyah, Madrasah Tsanawiyah, Madrasah Aliyah, Ma'had Aly, and LKK Al-Iman. This pesantren also works together with relevant ministries and institutions to teach other skills such as carpentry, carving, fisheries, agriculture, sewing, and automotive. In the economic and business fields, the pesantren manages several businesses such as stalls, cooperatives, shops, laundry, screen-printing, and so on.

As a pesantren that is a part of Rabithah Mahad Islami under the Nahdlatul Ulama organization, despite of its implementation of a modern management system, pesantren Al-Iman still maintains classical books as the main reference in its learning activities. These books include branches of knowledge of Nahwu, Shorof, Fiqh, Usul Fiqh, Ulumul Qur'an, Tafsir, Balaghah, Tawhid, Akhlaq, Tassawuf, History, Hadith, and Tajweed. In the field of Nahwu, it includes the books of Jurumiyah, Imrity, Mutamimah, Alfiyah, and Kawakibud Duriyah. For Shorof, it includes the Book of Amtsilah Tasrifiyah, Kailani 'Izzi, Maqsud, and Hillul Ma'qud. Fiqh books include Fiqh Wadhih, Fathul Qorib, Tausyekh, I'anatut Tholibin, Tuhfatul Muhtaj, and Bajuri. While Usul Fiqh's books include Mabadi 'Awaliyah, As Sulam, and Abdul Wahab Khalaf. While the Ulumul Qur'an books include Zubdatul Itqon, Manahilul 'Irfan, and Mabahis fi Ulumil Qur'an. In the field of Tafsir, the reference books include: Tafsir Jalalain, Tafsir Ahkam, Tafsir Showi, Tafsir Jamal, and Sofwatut Tafasir. In the field of Blaghah, the books include Balaghatul Wadhihah, Jawahirul Balaghah, and Jauharul Maknun. And other field references include: 'Aqoid Diniyah, Husnul Hamidiyah, Qomi'ut Tughyan, Tijan Durori, Akhlak lil Banin/Banat, Washoya, Ta'lim Muta'alim, Adabul 'Alim wal Muta'alim, Mau'idhotul Mukminin, Kifayatul Atqiya ', Syarhul Hikam, Ihya' Ulumudin, Khulasoh Nurul Yaqin, Nurul Yaqin, Ahlul Musamaroh, Arba'in Nawawi, Bulughul Marom, Jawahirul Bukhori, and the Book of Tajridus Sorih.

The Ar-Rohmah LSQ (Institute for Qur'an Study), which was founded and nurtured by Prof. Dr. KH. Abdul Mustaqim is a special pesantrenlocated in urban areas. This pesantren only consisted of a two-room bamboo hut at the beginning. It was initially built to accommodate two students who were victims of the earthquake in Bantul and wanted to study religion. However, it then attracted many students to join the study, both as “ngalong” students, who come to study at night and return to their homes and as “mukim” students, who stay at the pesantren. The pesantren’s reputation then grew well and it was entrusted with the Outstanding Santri Scholarship Program in 2012. This increased the number of students significantly. Currently, the pesantren with the name quoted from Quran Surah Al-Anbiya verse 107 has accommodated around 300 students from various universities such as UIN, UGM, UNY, STIQ, and UMY. By specializing in the Qur'an studies, the pesantren hopes to become a candradimuka crater (the idiomatic term for transformation center) for its students through the study of the Qur'an, either through qira'atan (reciting), fahman (understanding), tahfizhan (memorization) as well as 'amalan (implementation) the values ​​of the teachings of the Qur'an that are rahmatan Lil 'Alamin (a blessing for the world) in everyday life.

To support the achievement of their visions, the management board of LSQ Ar-Rohmah organizes Qur'an studies, in the fields of tartil (recital), tahsin (tajweed), tahfidz (memorization), and tafsir (interpretation); to develop Islamic studies through the reading and studies of books,  turret/modern-contemporary; conducting research, translation, and publishing of Islamic books; performing community service (khidmah ijtima'iyyah); improving Arabic and English language skills, and initiating cooperation with various other institutions in the context of developing the pesantren. The classic books that are used as the main reference to enrich the study of the Qur'an include: Tahziab/Fiqh, Rawai‘ al-Bayan, Mukhtarul Ahadit; Adabul ‘Alim wa al-Muta‘allim; Al-Madkhal li Dirasah al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah; Fiqh Sirah al-Nabawiyyah; Al-Halal wa al-Haram/Ushul Fiqh; Nasa’ih al-‘Ibad; Tafsir Marah Labid; Hasyiyah ‘ala Mukhtasar li al-Bukhari; and Interpreting of The Qur’an

4.2 Participant Characteristics

Based on their education level, 4 people (4%) of the participants had elementary education backgrounds; 60 people (60%) have secondary education, and 36 people (36%) have higher education. When viewed from the socio-cultural environment, all participants from urban pesantrenhad higher education (7 people or 23.3% postgraduate students and 23 people or 66.7% undergraduate students) from several universities in Yogyakarta. In pesantren with the mountainous socio-cultural environment, 4 people or 16% had elementary education, 33 people or 72% had secondary education, and 3 people or 12% had a higher education background. While in the rural areas, 20 people or 66.7% had secondary education, and 10 people or 33.3% had higher education. Thus, based on the levels of education, it can be concluded that participants with a secondary education level dominate pesantren in mountainous and rural areas, while pesantren in the urban socio-cultural environment are dominated by those with a higher educational background.

Official government websites are the most accessed media as the source of information about the Covid-19 pandemic with 45 participants (45%), followed by social media with 30 participants (30%), television with 19 participants (19%), and newspapers accessed with 6 participants (6%). In detail, the types of media used by participants in obtaining information on the Covid-19 pandemic are presented in table 1 below:

Table 1: Covid-19 Information Communication Media

Source: Data Processed (2025)

This finding is in line with the conclusion of Ebrahim et al.'s research entitled "Covid-19 Information-Seeking Behavior and Anxiety Symptoms among Parents". They found the fact that the most widely accessed communication media as a source of information about Covid-19 were the internet and social media accounts owned by government health organizations. Respondents also have a high level of satisfaction and trust in the media as a reliable source of information related to information about the Covid-19 pandemic (Ebrahim Ah et al., 2020).

 Judging from the socio-cultural environment factors and the use of communication media, the internet, and the official government website received the most attention from participants in urban pesantren, up to 66.6%, followed by 40% of pesantren in the mountains, and 30% of rural pesantren. In contrast, social media occupies the top position for residents of rural pesantren by 33.3%, followed by pesantren residents in urban areas by 30%, and pesantren in mountain areas by 27.5%. Television still has an appeal as a source of information for pesantren residents in the mountains and villages, but not for those in urban areas. This can be seen from the finding that out of 40 participants in the mountains, 32.5% of them use television as a second source of information after official government websites, while for residents of rural pesantren, television is accessed by 20% of participants. Meanwhile, TV is not selected at all by those who live in an urban pesantren. The findings on the use of several media and platforms as the source of pandemic information are also in line with the findings of Moreno et al. study which found that people rely more on mainstream communication media as the source of information about the Covid-19 pandemic. Three of the four most widely used communication channels include television, online newspapers, and radio as the main sources of information, while the WhatsApp platform is one of the social media that contributes to the fulfillment of information about the Covid-19 pandemic.

4.3 Socio-Cultural Environment, Types of Pesantren, Communication Media as Sources of Information on the Covid-19 Pandemic

The relationship between the socio-cultural environment, types of pesantren, and levels of education with communication media selection as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic among pesantren residents can be seen in table 2. The figures on the results of the chi-square test with a 95% confidence level and a critical value of 0.05 become the main reference to state whether or not there is a relationship between the existing variables. If the value of chi-square hit > chi-square tab then the null hypothesis is accepted, otherwise if the chi-square value < chi table then the null hypothesis is rejected.

Table 2: Summary of Chi-Square, Symmetric Measures, and Directional Measures

Source: Data Processed (2025)

Table 2 shows that the calculated chi-square values between the socio-cultural environment, types of pesantren, and levels of education with the use of communication media types as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic are 26,896, 26,896, and 11,896. The values of the chi-square table with df 6 (4-1) x (3-1) at the 95% confidence level are 12,592 and 16,812 at the 99% confidence level with a significance level of .000 for the socio-cultural environment and the types of pesantren and .064 for the levels of education.

These calculations show that the socio-cultural environment and the types of pesantren have a positive relationship with the use of communication media as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic, because chihit 26,896>16,812chitab 8;.001 with a significance level of 0.00 < 0.05. Meanwhile, the levels of education have no relationship with the use of communication media as a source of information because chihit 11,896 < 16,812chitab, the significance level is also above 0.50, which is 0.0640. Thus, it can be concluded that the use of communication media as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic is influenced by the background of the socio-cultural environment and the types of pesantren, while the levels of education have no influence. This indicates that the use of media types as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic tends to be influenced by the socio-cultural background where the pesantren is located (whether rural, mountainous, or urban) and the type of pesantren (whether traditional/salaf, modern/Khalaf or special).

The extent of the relationship between the socio-cultural environment and the types of pesantren with the use of communication media as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic can be seen based on the values and levels of significance in the symmetric measures test. In this regard, there are 3 quantities to calculate the correlation, namely Phi = 0.519, Cramer's V = 0.367, and Coefficient of Contingency 0.460. From the magnitude of Phi, it can be drawn that the socio-cultural background and types of pesantren have a fairly close relationship with the use of communication media as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic. This can be seen from the significance value of 0.000 which is smaller than 0.05. However, the Phi value is 0.519, while for Cramer's V and the Coefficient of Contingency, the same magnitude is obtained, namely 0.460. Meanwhile, the relationship between education levels and the types of communication media used as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic is irrelevant because it is not significant.

These results are following the findings of Dankasa and colleagues’ study that concludes religious contextual factors such as social, geographical, and cultural environments have a relationship with decisions about the choice of information sources used to meet the information needs (Dankasa, 2017). This finding is also in line with the results of Ramadhani and his colleagues’ study which found that environmental activities in a community have a relationship with the use of social media that contains Islamic da'wah content among Syamil members of Padjadjaran University (Ramdhani et al., 2017). The need for information only has a low relationship with media selection. These results reflect that the use of media as a source of information has a relationship with the socio-cultural backgrounds to which the audience belongs. This reinforces the social class perspective developed by DeFleur and Ball-Rokeach that audience reactions to information sources are influenced by the environment in which they live and interact with (DeFleur & Rokeach, 2000).

5. Conclusion

Based on the discussion in the previous sections, it can be concluded that the socio-cultural background and types of pesantren have a positive relationship with the types of communication media used as a source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic. This conclusion reinforces the main assumption of the social class perspective that individual reactions to media and its content are influenced by group membership. Therefore, the findings of this study can be used as a reference related to the selection of media as a source of information for the benefit of socialization and education programs that engage the interests of the wider community in the field of public health, especially among pesantren, related to the efforts to improve healthy living behavior.

There are several limitations in this study, among others is the sampled pesantren are only in Central Java and Yogyakarta and the number is still fairly small compared to the number of pesantren in Indonesia. Therefore, it is recommended that further research be carried out by involving more pesantren from various regions in Indonesia so that a more comprehensive picture of the use of media as a source of information is needed for the development of the pesantren community can be obtained.

Author Contributions: This manuscript has undergone a thorough discussion process, and all authors have agreed to take personal responsibility for their respective contributions. Furthermore, they ensure that any questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even those not directly involving them, are properly investigated, addressed, and documented in the literature.

Funding: This research was funded internally by the author.

Conflicts of Interest: The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.

Acknowledgments: The author would like to acknowledge the Doctoral Program in Communication Science at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, as well as the Pesantren in Purworejo, Magelang, and Magelang for their support and participation in this research.