Investigation into challenges of Islamic education at multi-cultural institutions - Case studies of teachers’ and students’ views in high schools in Dubai

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Date
2021-01
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The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
In the current century, the world has been affected by different events and developments, which composes challenges facing the teaching and learning Religious Education . Some challenges may cause difficulties to the learners regarding confusion or suspicions that might happen when students compare the practical scientific subjects and the spiritual-religious subjects. In this dissertation, the researcher studies the challenges facing Islamic education as an academic subject in multi-cultural institutions. The research explores some advantages and disadvantages of multiculturalism when teaching Islamic education in multi-cultural schools from the teachers' and students' perspective. This study will focus only on high school students at some multi-cultural schools in Dubai. Therefore, the purpose of this study aims to identify these challenges from teacher's and student's perspective within a global world. The study was carried out in Dubai using two questionnaires among a sample of 113 teachers and 30 high school students. The researcher used qualitative analysis to validate the quantitative study's findings through semi-structured interviews among ten teachers. Descriptive and Thematic Analysis has been carried out on the data to interpret results regarding common challenges faced in the path of religious education specific to Islamic Education. The study concludes with significant challenges identified discussing Arabic texts' inability to understand when the commonly used language is English. Irrelevant curriculum, mixing concepts with other beliefs . . . etc. Recognising these challenges would help important actors in their respective areas make amendments to the curriculum or the teaching and learning strategies to be smoother than before. The participants gave several suggestions, which they believed were effective to face these existing or emerging challenges that may arise in the multiculturism educational institutions.
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Keywords
Islamic education, multi-cultural institutions, United Arab Emirates (UAE), religious education, high school students, teaching and learning
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