Deteriorating social behavior, negative media influence and violence among adolescents have given cause to pause and assess character development for the youth of this country. The purpose of this case study was to examine how a Muslim school’s curricula implemented character education. This study used a qualitative single-case methodology to examine character education as it was experienced by the participants in a private Muslim school. Data were collected from participant interviews, document analysis, and observations of classrooms, daily activities and special events. Data were analyzed to determine how character education was defined by the school, the method of delivery for the character education initiatives and the implementation of character education in this Muslim school. Analysis was based on Character Education Partnership’s (CEP) Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education (2007). The results of the study revealed: (a) participants defined character education using varied traits, processes, and expected behaviors. (b) The school delivers its character education curriculum primarily through the Islamic studies division; an add-on delivery method. Still, there was evidence of partial integration of character education in the core courses and (c) based on CEP’s Eleven Principles four were present and five were partially present in the school’s character education initiatives. Findings also revealed that the school’s emphasis on values, morality and spirituality was instrumental in their teaching character. Findings suggest that if participants in the school community work together they might formulate a definition of character education based on common process and expected behavior and create a collaborative working relationship to implement a character education program. Finally, addressing the absent and partially absent elements of the eleven principles could enhance the school’s character education initiatives. The study provides a process by which religious schools could examine their character education programs. The criteria used to measure the use of character education elements are transferable to other settings; however, this method of study does not allow generalization of findings.

This study evaluated the mediational role of Muslim School teachers‟ workplace spiritualty on perceptions of principal behaviour, individual job satisfaction and organisational commitment. In this regard The Meaning and Purpose at work scale of spirituality (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000) was administered, the Transformational leadership Inventory (Podsakoff et al,1990), the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (Mowday, Steers & Porter, 1979), and a measure of job satisfaction (Warr et al, 1979) to a sample of 219 Muslim School teachers‟ throughout Gauteng South Africa. Results stemming from Pearson Product Moments correlations and latent variable Structural Equation modelling were used to determine the relationships between these variables and test the mediational model. Results indicated that Muslim school teachers‟ regard their workplaces as catering to their spiritual needs, and are very satisfied and committed towards their organisation. Perceptions of WPS and leadership were found to significantly predict both job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Feelings of workplace spirituality were found to partially mediate between teachers‟ perceptions of their leader and their job satisfaction. Workplace spirituality was also found to mediate between teachers‟ perceptions of their leaders‟ behaviour and their organisational commitment. This paper concludes with the implications of these findings and directions for future research within this field.

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of principles and ethics that dominate four schools with a Muslim profile, two in Sweden and two in England. The specific objectives of the study are:  to examine educational policies with regard to primary schools with a confessional orientation in Sweden and England; to compare two primary schools with a Muslim profile in Sweden with two such schools in England; and in these four schools to describe and examine the manner in which school heads, teachers and other staff deal with the encounters between the values found in the national curriculum of Sweden and England respectively and the principles and ethics embodied in their private philosophy of life; to describe and examine the views of school heads, teachers and other staff on school leadership and any educational, ideological or personal role model they emulate; to describe and examine the expectations and views of parents with regard to the school with a Muslim profile; and describe the views of the pupils regarding their schools and the norms and values in school and; finally, to examine the attitudes of some local authority politicians in Sweden to MP schools. The findings indicate great difference between the two schools with a Muslim profile in Sweden, on the one hand, and the two schools in England, on the other. The fundamental reason for that lies in the parameters which had been established in these countries as the conditions for being permitted to establish and run a school with a confessional orientation. Since the schools in both countries had conformed to the relevant legislation and framework in their respective countries with regard to such schools, they had therefore consequently developed in different directions. / Partly financed by Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council)