Characteristics of human agency in liberal and Islamic religious education based on the national core curricula of Finland and Iran

Abstract

This article aims to identify and compare the characteristics of human agency in liberal and Islamic religious education, comparing Iran as a religious context influenced by Islamic state ideology with Finland as a liberal context and a secular state ideology. This comparison will be accomplished by document analysis of the national curricula for education in Iran and Finland. Methodologically, a comparative study and a deductive content-analysis approach will be employed. The paper will provide an analytical framework for human agency mainly based on Biesta's and Halstead's views as interpreters of liberal perspectives and Bagheri's view as an Islamic scholar. The comparison will be considered in the light of three categories: the foundation of agency, the requirements of agency and the educational consequences of agency. The results show that in all curriculum documents human agency is always considered but with distinct concepts and emphasis. In Iran, the focus is on spiritual aspects based on wisdom whereas in Finland the focus is on social aspects based on pure reasoning. The study suggests some points about the compatibility of Islam and liberal thought through the concept of human agency.

The Curriculum of Islamic Religious Education in the Whirlwind of Independent Education and Its Implementation on Learning

“…Students learn on their own initiative can be seen from their attitudes and ways of thinking. One of them is energetic, optimistic, positive, creative and not worried about trying new things (Khalili, 2022).…”

“…The approach employed is qualitative, where the data is in the form of narratives or sentences, and this data is systematically processed to generate conclusions. (Khalili, 2022) Furthermore, this research is also a type of historical-philosophical research. Data collection in this study involves a literature review of various sources, including books, journal articles, and other media.…”

“…Second, The research by Wakhidah & Erman, (2022) emphasized the need to incorporate environmental concepts into the Islamic religious education curriculum at all school levels. Third, Khalili (2022) highlighted that humanitarian issues are consistently considered in the Islamic religious education curriculum, with an emphasis on spiritual and social aspects.…”

Exploring the Multicultural Paradigm in Islamic Education: A Systematic Literature Review

“…From this explanation we can conclude that Islam and spirituality must complement each other, and Islamic education is based on spirituality. Spiritual aspects [19][20][21] include core competency, base on wisdom, and ritualistic practices.…”

Evaluation of Character Education Program Based on School Culture

“…The Ministry of Education and Culture implements this movement through the Strengthening Character Education programme, in line with national education goals. The Ministry of Religious Affairs also emphasises the importance of character education in madrasah as an Islamic educational institution, by designing a curriculum that takes into account national education goals, madrasah goals, science development, religious moderation, anti-corruption education, literacy, and moral formation (Weng et al, 2020;Vaillant & Zidán, 2016;Mashayeh, 2021;Khalili et al, 2022;Ashraf et al, 2021;Mukhtar et al, 2020;Ndlovu & Willems, 2009).…”