TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ISLAMIC MORAL VALUES TRANSMISSION IN PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

This explorative qualitative case study takes 25 school teachers in Pakistan as subjects or participants to interpret their perceptions regarding the transmission of Islamic moral values through educational setup. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were employed to understand what role teachers play and the challenges encountered in instilling moral values Thematic analysis revealed five themes: teachers' role as moral guides, conflicts in managing between custom and modernism- infusing values into the curriculum; teaching through stories & parental involvement. Teachers were seen as the key moral agents, who saw themselves not only as providers of academic knowledge but also as moulders for character-building in students. The difficulty of this task demonstrated the importance of both adapting (to deal with different developments in society) and at the same time protecting core Islamic principles. The deliberate inclusion of Islamic moral values across the curriculum demonstrated teachers' enthusiasm to embed ethical dimensions at the heart of the educational experience. Furthermore, storytelling became a particularly potent mode of teaching as teachers realized their capacity to make lessons in ethics come alive and be retained by pupils. This study has underlined the significance of cooperation with parents and effective moral education could be made possible if a coherent environment between home and school is available. Contributes to the limited scholarship on moral education in Pakistan. The results have implications for teachers and other school personnel, school leaders, and policymakers at various levels of government like mandates that promote teacher upskilling conditions in public schools more broadly.