Adaptation Strategies and Christian Identity Preservation Among Students in a Muslim-Majority School at SMAN 1 Simpang Kanan, Aceh Singkil Regency

Religious diversity within educational settings creates complex dynamics of social adaptation, particularly for students from religious minority groups who attend schools characterized by a majority religious culture. This study aims to analyze the adaptive strategies employed by Christian students in developing social relationships while maintaining their religious identity in a school where the majority of students are Muslim. A qualitative approach with a descriptive research design was employed at SMAN 1 Simpang Kanan, Aceh. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with nine Christian students as the primary informants and analyzed using Michael Rutter’s Social Resilience Theory. The findings indicate that Christian students adopt various adaptive strategies, including fostering mutual respect, demonstrating respect for Islamic religious practices and activities within the school, and building inclusive social relationships with peers regardless of religious background. Simultaneously, they preserve their religious identity through consistent engagement in religious worship, active participation in church activities, adherence to Christian values, and the support of family and religious communities as protective factors. The findings further reveal that an inclusive school environment—reflected in teacher support and school policies that respect religious diversity—contributes to strengthening the social resilience of minority students. Conceptually, this study extends the application of Social Resilience Theory by demonstrating that social adaptation and the preservation of religious identity are not mutually exclusive processes; rather, they can occur simultaneously through the interaction between individual capacities and the protective factors available within the school environment.