Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Associate Professor, Department of Theology and Islamic Maʿārif (Teachings), Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran.
2
Ph.D. Student in Quranic and Hadith Studies, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: Addressing an educator’s qualifications is of particular importance and priority; hence, our efforts in this study are due to this significance. On the other hand, utilizing effective and up-to-date research methods is essential and undoubtedly highly beneficial. Grounded theory is one of the methods we use in this study to derive a competent educator's most fundamental components from the Qur’an and hadiths perspective. This study aims to employ the grounded theory method to develop a conceptual model of an educator’s qualifications based on their importance and frequency in Islamic teachings and to introduce a theoretical framework. Through this method, we seek to extract data and propositions from previous research, examine efforts made in this field, and carefully analyze other necessary educational propositions for educators in the verses of the Qur’an and the hadiths. This will enable us to generate a theory and discover results from the data, presenting a conceptual framework for a competent educator from the perspective of Islamic teachings. Using the grounded theory method in this study is innovative and unprecedented, as no research has been conducted in this area before.
Method: This research, conducted using the text-based ‛grounded theory’ method, involves the extraction and qualitative analysis of a comprehensive collection of religious texts, including the verses of the Qur’an and the Hadiths from the Infallibles (ʿa.), regarding the characteristics of a competent educator.
Results: In this study, a thorough examination of the research background was conducted first to identify the components of a competent educator in religious teachings. A sample group of studies related to the main research question was then selected and compiled. This collection includes eight books, 15 theses, and 38 research papers meticulously studied and analyzed during the data collection phase. The verses of the Qur’an and the hadiths cited in these texts as the basis for describing the characteristics of a competent educator were collected. Additionally, during the data collection process, the hadiths mentioned in these studies were searched in the original hadith sources, and their references were noted alongside each hadith. Furthermore, while precisely examining these sources, any verse or hadith relevant to our research topic was also utilized. Subsequently, following the steps of the grounded theory method, open coding was performed to extract concepts from the data. Codes obtained from the verses of the Qur’an were marked with "Q," and those from the hadiths were marked with "T." In this phase, 119 codes of the Qur’an and 527 codes of the hadiths were identified.
Discussion and Conclusion: The research findings indicate that the primary concern of religious texts in introducing a competent educator can be classified into two overarching domains: qualifications and competencies. In the domain of qualifications, five categories were identified in order of frequency and priority: ethical, doctrinal, emotional, epistemic, and psychological. In the domain of competencies, four categories were identified in order of frequency and priority: behavioral-operational, educational-educative, scientific-instructional, and teaching. The details of each category and the paradigmatic model of a competent educator based on religious teachings are introduced in this study. According to the results, a competent educator from the perspective of Islamic teachings should possess qualifications and competencies in two fundamental domains: value-based and professional. Based on the grounded theory method, out of 449 data points of the Qur’an and the hadiths, 646 concepts were coded during the open coding phase, with value-based categories accounting for 417 codes (65%) and professional categories accounting for 229 codes (35%). In axial coding, within the domain of value-based qualifications, the main categories identified were ethical qualifications (192 codes), doctrinal (131 codes), emotional (38 codes), epistemic (36 codes), and psychological (20 codes). The subcategory "the educator should possess moral dignities" under ethical qualifications, with 62 codes, had the highest frequency among subcategories in this domain. The subcategories "kindness and compassion toward the learner" (26 codes) under emotional qualifications, "the educator’s adherence to the Qur’an and Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa.) and enabling the learner to benefit from these two weighty things" (32 codes) under doctrinal qualifications, "the educator’s educational strategies regarding Imam Mahdi (ʿa.)" and "the educator's awareness of the value and blessings of teaching" (each with 13 codes) under epistemic qualifications had the highest frequencies among subcategories.
Conflict of Interest: This research was financially supported by Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University under notification number 4929.
Keywords
)