Islamic Studies in Australian Islamic schools: educator voice

This paper responds to calls for renewal in Islamic schooling and education. In doing so, it provides insight into educators’ views on Islamic Studies (IS) in five Australian Islamic schools, with a focus on senior years (years 10, 11 and 12). The study offers a ‘dialogic alternative’ of ‘speaking with’ rather than ‘speaking for’ educators in Islamic educational research, planning, and renewal within K-12 Australian Islamic schools. It privileges educators’ voice and enables an insight into their experience with one of the most important and distinct features of Islamic schools – IS. Using phenomenology as a methodological framework, educators’ voice was elicited through focus groups where eighteen educators provided information describing their experience with IS. The study identified “strengths” and “challenges” of IS. Strengths includes parents’ desire for IS, educators’ personal connection with learner, knowledge of subject-matter, autonomy in teaching IS and unity among IS educators. The challenges outweigh the strengths and include insufficient time for IS, lack of resources, absence of a clear vision leading to a tokenistic and fragmented approach to the teaching of IS, low-level respect and recognition of IS educators and more.