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Stakeholder Expectations of Islamic Education Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 6-8-2018 Stakeholder Expectations of Islamic Education Julia Marie Ahmed Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Educational Leadership Commons, and the Islamic Studies Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Ahmed, Julia Marie, "Stakeholder Expectations of Islamic Education" (2018). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4395. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.6279 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Stakeholder Expectations of Islamic Education by Julia Marie Ahmed A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership: Curriculum and Instruction Dissertation Committee: Susan Lenski, Chair Swapna Mukhopadhyay Dannelle Stevens Sharon Carstens Portland State University 2018 © 2018 Julia Marie Ahmed STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION i Abstract Teachers and parents make considerable sacrifices to affiliate themselves with Islamic schools. As they commit to Islamic education, they acquire certain expectations that they want their school to fulfill. The purpose of this study was to explore the academic, social, and cultural expectations of five teachers and five parents in an Islamic School on the West Coast in order understand how these expectations could be fulfilled in other Islamic schools across the United States. The main research questions of this study were: What are the academic, social, and cultural expectations that parents and teachers have of their Islamic schools? To what extent are Islamic schools meeting the expectations of parents and teachers? Qualitative, phenomenological research methods were used for the design of this study along with a purposeful sampling of teachers and parents, triangulation of data sources, and a thorough coding process. Findings from the study supported that teachers and parents expected children to be knowledgeable about Islam in its broadest and deepest interpretations. Additionally, teachers and parents expected children to apply their knowledge of Islam in their everyday lives. Lastly, the degree that expectations were met depended on the support that teachers and parents received from their school community. When teachers and parents felt encouraged by school stakeholders, their expectations were generally fulfilled. Conversely, when teachers and parents felt that their needs were overlooked by school stakeholders, their expectations tended to remain unmet. Conclusions from the study explored ways to bridge the gap between met and unmet expectations of teachers STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION ii and parents. Implications invited teachers and parents to move beyond expectations toward transformative educational experiences for children in Islamic schools. STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION iii Dedicated to my children, Azrah, Abdul Rashid, and Khadija— my inspirations STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION iv Acknowledgements In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. First, I thank Allah for making this dissertation possible. Next, I want to thank my adviser and committee chair, Susan Lenski, for your steadfast guidance throughout my dissertation journey. Thanks to Swapna Mukhopadhyaya and Dannelle Stevens, and Sharon Carstens for serving on my committee and providing the critical recommendations that strengthened my study. Thank you, Karen Noordhoff for mentoring me through the years. Thanks to my family for your patience and encouragement every step of the way. Thank you to my brother, Tony Browne, who kept me focused from start to finish. Thanks to the principal, teachers and parents who participated in my study. Without all of you, I could not have completed this dissertation. Thanks to my friends for believing that I could accomplish this project before I believed I could. Thanks to my classmate in the doctoral program, Diana Rodriguez (may your soul rest in peace) for your friendship and humor that helped ease the way. Thanks to my students, colleagues, parents and other community members at the Muslim Educational Trust who offered your support during my dissertation process. Finally, as a well-known Hadith states, first thank your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father. In that spirit, I thank my mother, Mary Ellen Browne and my father, David Edwin Browne (may your souls rest in peace), for being my first teachers. With your open minds and generous hearts, you exemplified the beauty and wonder of learning. May Allah bless you both and grant you Paradise. Ameen. STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION v Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................... i Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………..iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ iv List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………….ix List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………….x Chapter 1: Statement of the Research Problem..........................................................1 Background of the Problem .......................................................................2 History of Islamic Education .....................................................................3 Tarbiyah Project ........................................................................................6 Islamic Schools and Madrasas ...................................................................8 Statement of the Research Problem……………………………………………9 Significance of the Research Problem ...................................................... 11 Presentation of Methods and Research Questions .................................... 12 Definition of Key Terms .......................................................................... 12 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature ........................................................................ 14 Theoretical Framework............................................................................ 14 Theory of Social Constructivism….………………………………………….14 Differing Perspectives on Social Constructivism ..................................... 16 Mediated Action Triangle ........................................................................ 19 Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT)….............................................20 Connection between Social Constructivism and Islamic Education .......... 22 Perspective of Participants in Social Constructivism ................................ 23 Constructed Meaning............................................................................... 24 Different Interpretations of Expectations ................................................. 24 Islamic Emphasis on Holistic Education .................................................. 25 Influence of Social Groups on Islamic Education ..................................... 26 STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION vi Limitations of Collaboration .................................................................... 28 Critique of Social Constructivism ............................................................ 29 Summary of the Theoretical Framework .................................................. 30 Review of the Research Literature ........................................................... 31 Background of Islamic Education ............................................................ 31 Quran and Haddith as Origins of Islamic Knowledge .............................. 32 To Grow, to Know, and to Discipline the Mind, Body and Soul............... 34 The Spread of Islamic Educational Centers World-Wide ......................... 35 Expectations of Parents and Teachers ...................................................... 38 Importance of Parents in Islam…..…………………………………………...38 Parents’ Academic Expectations .............................................................. 40 Parents’ Cultural Expectations ................................................................. 41 Importance of Teachers in Islam…..…………………………………………43 Teachers' Expectations of Islamic Education……………………………….43 Teachers' Expectations to Make Pedagogical Distinctions……………….44 Teachers’ Expectations to Teach from an Islamic Perspective ................. 45 Teachers’ Expectations to Manage Classroom with Prophet as Example.. 45 Teachers' Expectations to Integrate Islamic Values into Classroom.……..46 Purpose of Learning from an Islamic Perspective .................................... 47 Teachers’ Expectations of Guidance in Navigating Diversity ................... 48 Teachers Expect Training on Integrating Islamic Curriculum .................. 49 Teachers’ Expectations of Coaching on Students’ Muslim Identity .......... 50 Summary of Literature Review ................................................................ 51 Chapter 3: Methods ................................................................................................ 53 Research Methods ................................................................................... 54 Participants .............................................................................................
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