A Comparative Overview of Islamic & Western Concepts of Guidance Services in Education

Abstract

The provision of dynamic guidance services is an important issue in the educational system of every country. A specific system of guidance services may be considered as an ideal for one country but may not produce the same results in another country or culture. It is a well known fact that with the passage of time, the scientific and technological developments have brought several changes in the life style of people, cognition as well as working patterns in various sectors. As a result of these changes, apart from several benefits, a number of problems have also come up which are linked to various aspects of education, vocational training, social life, political system, health and wellbeing, religio-moral and spiritual values. To overcome individual and societal problems, there is a need for professional and expert help in the form of guidance services. The need and importance of guidance and its services is a continuous process of human development. The overall social setup of guidance services depends upon the disciplined way of life, flexibility, cooperation, self and mutual respect, religious harmony and mutual trust. In this perspective, high-quality values of society are closely related to the guidance and principles of an ideal state. The present research was aimed at exploring a comparative overview of Islamic and Western concepts of guidance services in education with its particular focus to analyze the present status of guidance services in M Phil programs. The study is based both on primary and secondary sources of information.In order to explore the objectives of the study mixed method design were used. for analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected from a variety of sources. Regarding for collection of quantitative data, a well developed questionnaire was produced for the university students.Similarly for collection of qualitative data, another questionnaire was prepared for the teaching faculty including eminent Christian academicians. The target area of this study comprised of all 31 public and private universities and 12 educational institutions of the non musilms Community of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The total sample size of the study was 340 among these, 320 students were registered in M Phil in education program while there were 10 Muslims and 10 Christian academicians. The data were analyzed in two phases. In the first phase, the quantitative information received from questionnaire (student community) was classified, tabulated and analyzed through SPSS version 16, using the probability values and chi-square methods. In the second phase, open-ended interviews (teachers community) were conducted iv to collect qualitative data. This data were interpreted in the form of themes. The outcomes of results were cross-compared to arrive at specific conclusion. The main findings of this research reflect that in spite of some similarities, the guidance services provided by Islam and Western philosophers are predominantly different from each other. For instance, Islam lays the foundations of guidance on spirituality and considers the Quran and the Sunnah as the primary and ultimate sources of guidance. However, Western thoughts are based mainly on observation and reasoning. No doubt, both concepts seek the development of human beings. However, the difference lies in their approaches and means to achieve the ends. It was clear that guidance services provide an opportunity and a road map through which individual and societal objectives can be achieved in a systematized way. The analysis of these services would be helpful to benefit the community and to accomplish the needs systematically and strategically. Therefore, a strong channel of communication is vital to bridge the gap between the Islamic and the Western concepts. It was debated that there should be a main focus on teacher training programs. As Pakistan is predominantly an Islamic state where the religion plays a significant role in the daily lives of its people,therefore guidance services should be formulated in accordance with the Islamic teachings, compatible to their norms and culture. The present study suggested that there is a need to bridge the gap between the Islamic and the Western approaches.