Intentions in Attending Faith-based Schools: Stories of Muslim Students in Saskatchewan

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the question: How are students' intentions and experiences in attending a faith-based school reflected in the scholarly and religious intentions and practices of faith-based schools that are found in research? The study question is inspired in part by the works of Tariq Ramadan (2004), which used mixed methods, drawing on some aspects of grounded theory for data interpretation including coding analysis, narrative theory for the storyline method. In this study, the data collection was accomplished through the methods of interviews and an on-line survey. The data was based on seven participants from the graduating class of 2012, as well as 32 participants from Grades 9 to 12 who filled out an on-line survey. In particular, the stories of seven Grade 12 students take precedence in this paper and provide critical perspectives regarding their intentions as well as their prospects and challenges they face attending an Islamic school in Canada. Two major themes emerged in the study. The first theme is the faith-based school’s academic, social and religious influences on students’ lives as well as identities. The second theme is based on the faith-based school’s shift in environment from private to public, from the Muslim community to the other communities. The findings also support Ramadan’s suggestions in collaborating with the non-Muslim community in order to avoid creating an artificial Islamic environment in a faith-based school, which might cause an identity crisis for the student.