The Empirical Development of an Instructional Product on the Religion of Islam from a Missiological Perspective

Abstract

Problem. There is considerable misunderstanding in the contemporary world about the religion of Islam. Its swift growth has been a challenge to Christianity, and efforts to share Christ\u27s message with Muslims have been relatively fruitless. The purpose of this study was to prepare a pedagogical module to instruct Seventh-day Adventist college students about the fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam. Topics include the Judaistic and Islamic heritage, Jesus and Muhammad, Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic marriage and family, the Muslim worldview, and practical Christian channels of missionary outreach to Muslims. Method. The methodology of this instructional product development followed the pattern of Baker and Schutz (1971) and Naden (1993). After identifying the need, behavioral objectives were established, and criteria were derived from the current literature on the religion of Islam. The instructional product was prepared in the form of ten classroom lectures. Mastery was set at 80 percent of the learners scoring at least 80 percent on each of the twenty-eight behavioral objectives. The learners were Andrews University college students enrolled in a class on world religions. The lectures were presented first to small groups of the target audience. The lectures were modified, and as mastery improved, the group size was increased. The product was considered presentation ready when mastery was attained by a group of thirty learners from the target audience. Modification of affect was measured by a Likertstyle instrument consisting of attitudinal statements related to Islam. Results Mastery was achieved on all of the twenty-eight behavioral objectives in the final tryout. Modification of affect was significant at the .05 level. Conclusions. Because the Seventh-day Adventist Church lacked an instructional product on the religion of Islam, and because this instructional product was developed empirically, it could be utilized as an instructional tool for undergraduate Seventh-day Adventist religion majors who are training to become ministers or teachers of the Gospel

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