Religious education and ethical attitude of Muslim adolescents in Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose – The study aims to investigate the students' perceptions on the teaching of Islamic education in the Malaysian secondary schools. The study will also look into the students' attitudes based on their personal self-evaluation as well as to examine the relationship between these two variables. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs quantitative and survey research design. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire which is distributed to samples that were randomly selected in representing the selected population among students of Malaysian secondary schools. The instrument used is a modification of instrument developed by Ab Halim et al., Ahmad Munawar and dan Azhar. The pilot study done shows a high reliability of 0.924 for the assessment of Islamic education teachings and 0.869 for the aspect of Islamic attitudes. 3,262 Form 4 and 6 students from selected schools in Malaysia participated in the study. The data were analyzed to display the frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Pearson's correlation. Findings – The study revealed a high level of mean on the aspect of students' evaluation on the teaching of Islamic education at their schools. It was also found that the level of students' attitudes was also high, i.e. 4.26. There was a significant relation between the students' perceptions on the teaching of Islamic education and their attitudes (r=0.740, p=0.000). Practical implications – The implementation of teaching and learning strategies and new approaches are some of important elements in the teaching and learning process of Islamic education. This study shows that the lesson of Islamic education has significant and strong relationship with the students' attitudes in their daily lives. Since the students felt that the lesson of Islamic education was important for them, teachers should improve the lesson on Islamic education by using different types of teaching methods, technique application and motivational approaches. The teaching of Islamic education should not only focus on theoretical aspects but must also emphasize on practical implementation of Islamic knowledge. Originality/value – This paper describes the religious teaching and learning in schools which has significant relationship with the students' daily attitudes. A new area of research can be conducted to explore the most important factors of teaching and learning that contribute to the students' attitudes development. These findings can also be used by educators to improve the quality of the lessons based on the students' evaluation.

Challenges Faced by Teachers About Inculcating Islamic Values: Pilot Inquiry

“…Teachers without a high level of piousness will not be able to be good role models. Hence, teachers' approaches and teaching styles must be abreast with the current and latest developments in maximizing the acquisition and application of knowledge gained (Tamuri et al, 2013). The ideal of a teacher in Islam should be referred to the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H), his companions, and also great Muslim scholars.…”

“…Apart from that, according to Tamuri et al (2013), there have been quite many challenges in developing these younger generations due to major impacts from their social environment. Problems such as gangsterism, harassment, drug addiction, and suicide have been some examples of disciplinary problems among students, leading to the decline of students' character (Abd Razak, 2005).…”

Intensity in Spirituality of High-Ability Students

“…This subject is taught in school from as early as Year One (seven years old) to Form Five (17 years old). One of the outcome of religious education is shaping the students' attitudes in their daily lives (Tamuri, Othman, Dakir, Ismail, Stapa, 2013). At the end of each school year, students are tested on their knowledge of what they have learned.…”

Ecletic Method for Arabic Learning in Islamic School of Indonesia

“…Nazhariyah ‫)نظرية(‬ means opinion, view, theory, thought and etc., while alWihdah ‫)الوحدة(‬ means unity and sometimes use the word al-wahdah (fathah on the letter waw). This writing consistently uses the term of al-wihdah (kasrah on the letter waw) (Aladdin, 2012;Halim Tamuri, Yusof Othman, Dakir, Munawar Ismail, & Stapa, 2013;Wekke, & Lubis, 2015). The consistence of using terms is intended to avoid any misinterpretation or misunderstanding.…”