Knowledge, Skills, Practices, and Jawi Literacy Among Islamic Education Primary School Teachers

The quality of Islamic education in primary schools significantly depends on teacher competencies, which may vary based on geographical locations. Understanding these variations is crucial for educational policy development and teacher professional development programs. This study aimed to examine the differences in knowledge, skills, practices, and Jawi literacy among Islamic education primary school teachers based on their school locations in Sabah, Malaysia. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted involving 341 Islamic education primary school teachers in Sabah. Data were collected using Jawi literacy tests and structured questionnaires. The sample comprised 75 teachers (21.9%) from urban schools and 268 teachers (78.1%) from rural schools. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed to determine significant differences between urban and rural teachers across four competency domains. The findings revealed no statistically significant differences between urban and rural teachers in knowledge (F=0.401, p=0.527), skills (F=0.022, p=0.882), practices (F=0.186, p=0.667), and literacy (F=1.115, p=0.292). To conclude, contrary to common assumptions, location does not significantly impact Islamic education teachers' competencies in Sabah. This suggests that other factors such as socioeconomic background, teaching quality, or resource accessibility may be more influential in determining teacher competencies.

Islamic education, Jawi literacy, urban and rural, competency domains

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