A Study of Student's Views on Obstacles to Effectiveness of Islamic Knowledge Courses in Universities and Higher Education Institutions

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the obstacles to the effectiveness of Islamic knowledge courses in universities and higher education centers. The statistical population of this research included all students in Kashan universities (University of Kashan, University of Medical Sciences and Islamic Azad University) (n=17057). Using stratified random sampling method, 458 subjects were selected. Researcher-made questionnaire was used as the means of data collection, with reliability of 0.83 through Cronbach’s alpha. Inferential statistics (t-test, analysis of variance, etc.) were used in order to analyze the data. The results indicated that although the Islamic curriculums are in a relatively favorable status, there exists a series of internal and external factors which practically prevents such courses from having the expected efficiency and effectiveness on students. From the viewpoint of students, the component of evaluation as an internal factor and environmental or social conditions as the external factors are the major obstacles to the effectiveness of Islamic knowledge courses.