1.1 Introduction
Islamic education in Hausa land is as old as the spread of Islam in the area which began as early as the eleventh century through the deliberate activities of Muslim traders and itinerant scholars as well as migrants. By the fifteen century the reputation of some Hausa state capitals as Muslim metropolis was already high enough to attract many students and scholars (Khalid, 2014). Islamic education aims at producing Allah’s representatives who will do good to mankind on earth. According to Mairo (2011), a Muslim believes that what purifies him is doing those things that are good, which include belief and good deeds what corrupts him however is committing those things that are evil which include disbelief and evil deeds. Furthermore, the majority of secondary school students offering Islamic Studies are in their adolescence stage, which is a confused period (Chowdhry, 2014).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Over the years, Islamic Studies plays a vital role in education and the development of societal values and morals. Islam as a comprehensive religion cuts across all spheres of human endeavour, be it spiritual, intellectual or other (Bidmos, 2010). All Islamic societies therefore, are very eager to put into practice Islamic education across the various levels of schooling. The implementation however, may come under different names like Religious Education, Islamic Education, or Islamic Studies. The curriculum of Islamic Studies was purposely designed to promote overall competence in nurturing Islamic moral values for successive use in adult life (Ahmed, 2013).
Despite the fact that Islamic Studies was introduced in the secondary school curriculum, its objectives have not been fully attained (Adedeji, 2010). The world is fast changing, and more challenging, but the Muslims are not prepared to take a principal role due to moral decadence among them (Timehin, 2015). In Nigeria today as more than ever before there is greater demand for highly creative and innovative teachers who can lead the students onto paths of meaningful learning. An effective and efficient teacher is also one of the factors that will contribute to effective instruction in education. The achievement of effective and efficient teaching and learning in schools has been one of the perennial problems in education. Other problems include the nature of the curriculum, controversial nature of the subjects and poor methods of instruction.
Perception is the way people judge others with whom they are in contact. A person’s attitude to an idea or object determines what the person thinks, feels and how the person would like to behave towards that idea or object. Therefore, the students’ perception of their teacher’s qualification could influence their attitude towards learning mathematics or any other school subject. Students more often than not, judge their teachers in such areas as the teacher’s knowledge of the subject matter, communication, ability and the choice of appropriate teaching method. A teacher who is rated high on these indices in the perception of the students is likely to enjoy the confidence, respect and admiration of his/her students and vice versa. Teaching of Islamic doctrine and beliefs (aqidah) is a critical issue to give Muslims young generations convincing answers to these world modern challengers.
The greater challenge to Islamic doctrine and beliefs at present is no longer revolving around the theological differences of the past but rather around ideological challenges advocated by western thought such as, positivism, secular humanism, liberalism and post-modernism. These ideologies not only threaten the tenets of Islamic belief but more seriously the Islamic doctrine itself (Fatimah 2005).
The new paradigm of teaching for transferring content knowledge of Islamic theology in Islamic education needs a specific approach and effective methodology. Islamic education stresses the necessity for Muslims to lead all aspects of their lives in the best possible way, both spiritually and practically (Ahmad, 2000; Farhan, 2000). The teaching methods of Islamic Education tend to rely on the promotion of memorization, recall and rote learning (Ahmad Munawwar 2009). The importance of Islamic Education is derived from its major theme the religion of Islam. However, the research findings show that the focus of the teachers is on passing knowledge to the students, with little use of modern methods and aids in teaching (Ahmad Munawwar 2009).
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Teachers and Students Perception towards Effective Teaching and Learning of Islamic Studies in Junior Secondary School.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that effective teaching method of Islamic values is facing several challenges as teachers struggle to make teaching value-based. Many teachers in Islamic schools are facing different challenges in inculcating Islamic values. Normatively, teachers are required to conduct teaching and learning passionately and professionally. Moreover, Islamic education not only requires Muslim teachers to teach students professionally, but also persuades them to be committed to Islam by inculcating Islamic moral values (Nur-Ashikin et al., 2003).
There are a whole lot of negative expressions before school age or getting admission into school, the child psychologically develops fear for a particular subject and comes to the lesson with these bad notions which disassociate learning patterns which are impossible to build upon. Therefore, the study sought to educate the new incoming generations on the likely variables perceived to be affecting teaching and learning of Islamic studies resulting to the persistent rate of failure in the subject.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Teachers and Students Perception towards Effective Teaching and Learning of Islamic Studies in Junior Secondary School. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To investigate the factors explaining attitudes of teachers and students towards effective teaching and learning of Islamic studies;
- To determine the level of teaching and learning processes effectiveness on Islamic studies;
- To examine the methods of teaching as a factor that influences teaching and learning of Islamic studies;
- To find out the relationship between teachers and students perception and the performance of student in Islamic studies;
- To assess attitudes of teachers and students towards the nature of Islamic studies; and
- To recommend ways of improving the student’s academic performance in junior secondary schools.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Are there factors that influences teaching and learning of Islamic studies?
- What are the attitudes of teachers and students towards the nature of Islamic studies?
- What are the effective teaching and learning processes of Islamic studies?
- What is the relationship between teachers and students perception and the performance of student in Islamic studies?
- What are the recommended ways of improving the student’s academic performance in junior secondary schools?
- What are the factors explaining attitudes of teachers and students towards effective teaching and learning of Islamic studies?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant relationship between teachers and students perception and effective teaching and learning of Islamic studies in Nigeria.
- H1: There is significant relationship between teachers and students perception and effective teaching and learning of Islamic studies in Nigeria.
Hypothesis Two
- H0: There is no significant effect of teachers and students perception on effective teaching and learning of Islamic studies in Nigeria.
- H1: There is significant effect of teachers and students perception on effective teaching and learning of Islamic studies in Nigeria.
1.7 Significance of Study
The result of this study would furnish educational policy makers and planners with relevant and up-to-date information on the effect of teachers qualification and teacher Experience on the academic performance of Islamic Studies students. The study would help teachers to have an insight into the meaning, application and problems of using role play method of teaching and thus change their method when the need arises for proper students’ achievement and interest in Islamic studies in secondary schools.
Finally, this study will also be beneficial to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Teachers and Students Perception towards Effective Teaching and Learning of Islamic Studies in Junior Secondary School using Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- Lack of Initial Cooperation from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.
1.10 Definition of Terms
Education:
The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school
Islamic Studies:
It refers to the study of Islam.
Student:
A person formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school or college; pupil.
Learning:
Learning is the process of acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviours, skills, values, or preferences.
Perception:
It is the process by which people translate sensory impressions into a coherent and unified view of the world around them.
