Developing Environmental Education Kuwaiti Middle Schools: an Islamic
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Developing Environmental. Education In Kuwaiti Middle Schools: An Islamic Perspective Volume 1 KHADIJA ALI AL-NAKI THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PIllLOSOPHY May 2001 Institute of Education University of London Abstract The main purpose of the thesis is to develop a greater understanding of the place of environmental education (EE) in Kuwaiti middle schools. The study examines whether present educational practice is adapted to the present and future needs of Kuwaiti society and to the environmental aspirations of an Islamic ethos. As a theoretical basis for developing EE in Kuwaiti middle schools, the study attempts to link Islamic teachings to concepts of Western environmental ideologies. The main concepts of interest to the study are those concerning Man-Man and Man-nature relationships· in the Islamic tradition, such as concepts of Man, Earth, conservation of resources, oneness of human race and the Divine outlook of the Universe. Comparisons are made with key environmental concepts in the Western tradition, such as moderation in consumption, the Gaia Hypothesis and sustainability. A literature study, in Chapters 2 and 3 undertakes a deep discussion of Islam and Islamic ethics and an explanation of EE using Western literature sources. This is followed in Chapter 4 with a discussion of the methodology of the thesis as a whole, linking the conceptual and empirical aspects of the research. This chapter also spells out how the focus of the research evolved and changed significantly. Chapter 5 introduces an environmental audit of Kuwaiti textbooks in two areas of the curriculum. Further empirical work, including a teachers' survey in Chapter 6, shows that: there exists both the need and the potential to develop EE within the Kuwaiti curriculum framework. This requires willingness to learn from Western practices, those which are compatible with Islamic ethics and teaching, and a revival of Islamic environmental ethics within the curriculum. teachers require assistance in order to contribute to this process. Specifying and meeting teachers' needs is therefore an important part of the way forward, and as a contribution to this, an in-service workshop on EE for Kuwaiti middle school teachers was developed, implemented evaluated, and reported in Chapters 7 and 8. The thesis concludes, in Chapter 9, that in order to ensure the effective provision of EE, priority should be given to in-service training of teachers of all subject disciplines. It also suggests that Islam could have a central place in the educational curriculum as a unifying theme. As a means to revive the Islamic environmental ethics, Western EE concepts and pedagogy could be incorporated within the Kuwaiti educational system, Islamic ethics being used to 'carry' environmental education into the subject based curriculum. An extensive set of appendices is provided in Volume 2, showing research instruments, raw data and materials used in and generated by the workshop . • The word "Man" is being used throughout the thesis, as translated from Arabic (al-Insan), to infer any human being or individual person. ii Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the support guidance and patience of my supervisors Dr. David Lambert and Professor Michael Barnett. It is their faith in my abilities and in my work that has made this work possible. Their constant supervision and the time they have given me surpassed role of a supervisor. I am also grateful to 'Safia Middle School' members for their involvement willingly in the empirical part of this research. iii To my late father from whom I learned the ethical teachings of Islam and gained the inspirational commitment to this study iv Table of Contents TITLE PAGE ................................ 1 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I ABSTRA.CT ......................................................................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ......................................................................................... iii DEDICATION ••••.••••••.•••.••••.•••.••••.•••.•••..••.•.••.••••..•••.••••••••.•••..•••.••.•••••..••••.•••••••..••••• iv TABLE OF CONTENTS •••••••.•••.•••.•••••••...•....•...••...•....•...•••.••••..........••.•.••..••••.••••••..•.. v LIST OF FIGUERS •••••••••••••••••.••••.••..••.•.•.•.••...••.••••••••••.•••....•••••..•...•.•.••..••••.••••.••.•..•• x LIST OF TABLES ••••..••••.•••••••••••••••..••••••••••••••••••••••••••••..•.••••...•.••.•.•••.•.••...•.•..•..••.••. x LIST OF ABREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE: THE KUWAITI EDUCATION SYSTEM: THE CONTEXT AND ORIGIN OF THIS THESIS ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION .....•............................................••.•.......•.••.....•......•.....................•.•.•..•.....••............. 1 1.2 GEOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND OF KUWAIT .....•................................................................................... 1 1.3 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF KUWAIT •.....•...........................•........................•.........•..........•......... 2 1.4 THE EDUCATION SERVICE IN KuwAIT ..•........................................................................................... 4 1.4.1 Formal structure 0/ Kuwait education ..................................................................................... 5 1.4.2 Interdisciplinary activities in middle schools ............................................................................ 7 1.5 TEACHER PREPARATION IN KUWAIT ................................................................................................ 8 1.6 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN KUWAIT FROM 1972 ..................................................................... 9 1.7 A CRITIQUE OF KUWAIT FORMAL EDUCATION SYSTEM ................................................................• 17 1.7.1 Kuwaiti eduacational strategy and educational goals ........................................................... 17 1.7.2 Teacher Training in Kuwait ................................................................................................... 20 1.8 RESEARCH ON THE PROVISION OF EE IN KUWAIT .••..••...••.......•....•................................................ 22 1.8.1 Motivation/or undertaking the study ..................................................................................... 24 1. 9 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ...................................................................................................... 24 1.9.1 The Purpose o/the Study ....................................................................................................... 25 1.9.2 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 26 1.9.3 The aim o/the Study ................................................................................................................ 26 1.9.4 The specific objectives ............................................................................................................. 26 v CHAPTER TWO: ISLAMIC ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS .......................................................... 28 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 28 2.2 INTRODUCTORY IDEAS ABOUT ISLAM .....•..•...•............................................................................... 30 2.2.1 Man's covenant with God ....................................................................................................... 33 2.2.2 The Islamic conception ofhistory .......................................................................................... 35 2.3 THE INTER-CONNECTION BETWEEN MAN AND EARTH IN ISLAM ................................................... 35 2.3.1 The Dual Nature ofMan ......................................................................................................... 37 2.3.2 Knowledge, Faith and Man's Deeds ....................................................................................... 39 2.4 ETHICS OF ISLAM ...........•.........................................................................................................•.... 52 2.4.1 Justice ..................................................................................................................... ,.............. 55 2.4.2 Equity ........................ ,........................ ..................................................................... ,.............. 56 2.4.3 Oneness ofhumanity in Islam: Globalization ......................................................................... 58 2.4.4 Moderation in consumption .......................... ,........... ,............................................................. 63 2.4.5 Divine outlook ofthe Universe ............................................................... ,.... " .. ,......... ,........ ,.... 66 2.4.6 The concepts ofDevelopment and Sustainability in Islam ...................................................... 71 2.5 EARTH - THE LIVING UNIT IN ISLAM .............................................................................................. 74 2.6 CONDmONS OF CONTEMPORARY MUSLIMS .................................................................................. 78 2.7 CONCLUSION •.......•.......................................................................................•..................•........•...