THE PURSUIT OF AN EFFECTIVE HOME-SCHOOLING ENVIRONMENT FOR MUSLIM CHILDREN

Abstract

This research intended to seek the reasons why home-schooling Muslim children can be the best way to adhere to the Shari’ah. The research further intended to retrieve different methods and strategies as to how home-schooling Muslim children can be done in the best way while adhering to the Shari’ah. Moreover, this study also aimed to highlight various challenges faced by Muslim homeschooling families and the solutions applied by them. This research utilized deductive qualitative research using an open-ended questionnaire survey for conducting an in-depth thematic analysis. The study was carried out online and resulted in forty-five completed responses. The results of the research showcased that the major reasons for home-schooling of Muslim children were to: avoid negative peer-influence, avoid negative topics, controlled atmosphere, family members are role models, good balance between ‘deen’ and ‘dunya’, focus on Islamic studies, less distractions, no fear of assessment, positive attitude towards learning and to relate everything with Allah. Moreover, the results of the study showed that the best home-schooling for Muslim children can be accomplished through various strategies such as: inculcating Islamic values, providing Islamised education, adopting an Islamic lifestyle, having a controlled environment, providing full parental supervision, protecting from societal evils, and reducing peer pressure. Furthermore, the research revealed that Muslim homeschooling parents encountered several challenges, and the most common challenges are socializing, attention deficiency, time management, the distraction of household work, peer pressure from school-going children, societal pressure, criticism from others, expensive resources, and lack of structure.