The Internalization of Akhlaq among Selangor Secondary School Students

The internalization of akhlaq is vital as it serves as a stronghold that preserves one’s belief, values, faith and culture. This will make one not only knowledgeable but also practices his belief in all aspects of his life. The question is whether or not today’s education is internalizing akhlaq among the students? This paper discusses the findings of a study on the internalization of akhlaq among secondary school students in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. This quantitative study involved 715 form four Muslim students aged 16 years old from 10 secondary schools in Selangor. A questionnaire was employed in collecting the data. It consisted of three constructs to measure the internalization of akhlaq, i.e. akhlaq towards Allah, the Prophet, and the Qur'an. The findings showed that the respondents could be classified into two levels of internalization of akhlaq, i.e. high level and moderate. The high internalization of akhlaq was towards Allah; while the moderate internalization of akhlaq was towards The Prophet, and the Quran. However, the overall findings showed a moderate level of internalization of akhlaq among the respondents. The finding also showed significant differences in the internalization of akhlaq based on gender and school location.


Introduction
The phenomenon of immorality among youngsters nowadays has been a major concern in the Malaysian society.The most frightening fact exposed by both printed and electronic media is the continuing increasing number of youths involved in social misconducts.In addition, the crime rate among them has also increased.This situation reflects the seriousness of this problem and the need to respond appropriately to prevent this problem from spreading further in the society.
The increasing number of students involved in immorality has raised questions of the internalization of akhlaq among adolescents.Although various rules and regulations have been set by the school, students' misconducts keep increasing.Among the obvious problems is related to deviant and delinquent behaviour among teenagers.According to the press, the number of reported cases has increased from time to time regardless of the area where students come from.
Thus, according to Siddiq Fadhil (1995), we should pay attention to these moral issues because it will be affecting the community and the rise and fall of a civilization.In fact, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed stressed that excellence in this world and the hereafter will not be fully achieved as long as one's akhlaq is not guided by the teachings of the Quran.According to him, immorality among the younger generation today is largely due to lack of understanding of Islam (Berita Harian, December 2, 1996).From this statement, it is clear that the rejection and lack of appreciation towards the Islamic way of life will lead to immorality, thus destroying human needs in general.
Meanwhile, Wan Mohd.Nor (1991) believes that morality is widely and increasingly declining because students do not understand and appreciate a clear philosophy of education.Students perceive that education is just a medium to acquire the information and skills to meet the requirements of the employer when they go into the job market or workforce.They put aside the question of morality and spirituality and assume that both are things that have nothing to do with the skills and information needed.While in reality, the development of the community, nation and the world is very much affected by individuals' personal qualities apart from their skills and academic excellence.Therefore, proper religious understanding and internalization of akhlaq among young adults must be one of the important strategies in maintaining and enhancing the integrity of akhlaq in all communities in general and specifically in Muslim community (Azhar Ahmad 2006;Harery 2007).

Objectives
The objective of this study is to: 1) Identify the level of internalization of akhlaq towards; Allah, The Prophet, and the Qur'an among the secondary school students in Selangor.
2) Identify the overall level of internalization of akhlaq among secondary school students in Selangor.
3) Identify the differences of internalization of akhlaq based on gender, and school location.

Research Design
This study employed a survey research design.According to Ary et al. (2006), surveys can be used to measure opinions, attitudes and behaviours.Kerlinger (1986) also added that if the goal of a study is to examine the influence of independent variables to the dependent variables, thus a survey method is the most appropriate method.In this research, the survey method was used to obtain quantitative data concerning the students' background and their views on the internalization of akhlaq.

Research Sample
This study involved a total of 715 Muslim students aged 16 as the respondents; selected through stratified random and clustered sampling.Stratified random sampling was employed because the number of students is not homogeneous in each district, then the appropriate method is to use stratified random sampling (Mohd Majid, 1998).Stratified random sampling also can be used to ensure that every student in every district has the same chance of being selected as sample (Piaw, 2006;Ary et al., 2006 andBryman, 2001).Thus, in this study the researcher divided the schools in the state of Selangor into 10 districts as proposed by the Selangor Education Department ie.Klang, Kuala Langat, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Langat, Hulu Selangor, Sabak Bernam, Gombak, Petaling Perdana, Petaling Utama and Sepang.In each of the district, a secondary school was randomly selected as the location of the study.

Research Instruments
A questionnaire was employed in collecting the data.The questionnaire was developed by adopting and adapting questionnaires used by Azma Mahmood (2006), Azhar Ahmad (2006) and Harery Abu Saad (2007).It consists of three constructs to measure the internalization of akhlaq, i.e. akhlaq towards: Allah, the Prophet, and the Qur'an based on the category of akhlaq proposed by Jalaluddin and Usman Said (1994).This study used students' self-reporting approach to collect data on the internalization of akhlaq among the respondents.There are 47 items in this section and questions are built on a four-point Likert scale in the positive and negative forms of expression.Each item has a set of responses that indicates the level of frequency related to the act of a moral statement (Never, Rarely, Often and Very Often).

Findings 4.1 Respondent' Background
Table 1 shows that the number of male respondents involved in this study was 290 (40.6%), students while the number of female respondents was 425 (59.4%).The findings also show that 335 (46.9%) respondents were studying at secondary schools in cities, while 380 (53.1%) students were studying in rural secondary schools.The mean values of the items beginning with the highest score was (I fear the wrath of Allah and the Hereafter) with a mean of 3.69, followed by 3.62 (I believe the power of God by praying to Him), 3.61 (set aside the religion of Islam to personal interests), 3.42 (to perform ritual prayers), 3.39 (appeal for the help of Allah), 3.38 (disobeys the teachings of Islam), 3.31 (thinking about life after death), 3.27 (grateful to all of nikmat), 3.25 (to abate qadha and qadar), 3.24 (take for granted all the good deeds) and 3.14 (seek the favour of Allah).

The Internalization of Akhlaq towards Rasul
The data analysis in Table 3 shows that only two items were high level internalization which are 'I wholeheartedly believe in the Prophet Muhammad's prophecy' with a mean value of 3.66 and 'I believe that truth is conveyed by the teachings of the Prophet' with a mean value of 3:58.
Meanwhile, 13 items with moderate mean score level of internalization of akhlaq towards the prophet were : 'I love Rasulullah more than my love to others' (2.97),followed by 'I say a prayer for the Prophet Muhammad, each time his name is heard' (2.91), 'I say a prayer for the Prophet Muhammad, S. A. W. '(2.88), 'I am obedient to the teachings contained in the Quran and al-Sunnah '(2.71), 'I stay away from all that are prohibited by the Prophet S. A. W. as a sign of obedience to him '(2.69), ' I obey the prophet by abiding to his teachings (2.65), 'I earnestly follow the practice of the Prophet (2.63), ' I focus on matters presented in a ceremony of knowledge '(2.60), 'I follow the prophet on the conduct of everyday life '(2:42), ' I attended a science or religion talks on my own initiative '(2.31), 'I perform the prayers as taught by the Prophet consistently' (2:24), 'I emulate the Prophet's akhlaq in my daily interactions "( 2:24) and ' I call on friends to convey the teachings of Islam together '(2.15).
The overall analysis indicates that the students actually believe in Muhammad's prophethood and the truth in the teachings conveyed by the Prophet.However, the moderate mean scores show that the students do not performed the daily practices conveyed by the Prophet such his character, practices and perform dakwah to friends.The items that showed a high mean score level of internalization are; 'reading the Quran with the right method (starting with a'uzubillah and Bismillah)' (3.51), 'I pay attention to the dress code when reciting the Qur'an '(3.48), 'I perform the ablution before reading the verses of the Qur'an '(3:21), 'I only read the Quran, when asked by my parents' (3.21) and 'I recite the Quran aloud to be heard by others *' (3.15).
Meanwhile, the items, which had moderate mean score level of internalization are; 'I try to read the Qur'an according to correct pronunciation' (2.92), 'I keep quiet to pay attention to the recitation of the Quran by friends' (2.63), 'I am always moved to read the Qur'an' (2:57), 'I recite a du'a after reading the Quran (2:56), 'I try to understand every verse of the Quran by referring to the translation of the verse "( 2:42) 'I refer to the Quran as a reference and guidance for daily conducts" (2.37).

The Internalization of Akhlaq among Students
Table 5 below shows the overall findings on the internalization of akhlaq among students in Selangor.The study showed that out of the three constructs related to the internalization of akhlaq, only one construct had its mean that reached the high level of internalization, which is akhlaq towards Allah (mean 3.12).Meanwhile, the other two constructs i.e akhlaq towards the Qur'an (mean 2.91), and akhlaq towards the Prophet (mean 2.71) were moderate.
The overall mean of the internalization of akhlaq of the secondary school students in Selangor are moderate with a mean score of 2.91.An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the internalization of akhlaq i.e. akhlaq towards Allah, the Prophet, and the Qur'an based on gender.Findings showed that there was a significant difference in the scores of akhlaq towards Allah for male (M=3.03,SD=0.34) and female (M=3.18,SD=0.36), t = -5.677,p = 0.000.Finding on akhlaq towards the Prophet showed a significant difference in the scores for male (M=2.67,SD=0.39) and female (M=2.73,SD=0.41), t = -2.248,p = 0.025.Moreover, finding on akhlaq towards al-Quran also showed a significant difference in the scores for male (M=2.84SD=0.34) and female (M=2.96,SD=0.38), t = -4.654,p = 0.005.These results suggest that female students had better internalization of akhlaq than the male students had.Table 7 shows an independent-sample t-test conducted to compare the internalization of akhlaq based on school location.Findings showed there was a significant difference in the scores of akhlaq towards Allah for students in the city (M=3.08,SD=0.35) and rural (M=3.14,SD=0.35), t = -2.008,p = 0.045.Finding on akhlaq towards the Prophet showed a significant difference in the scores for city (M=2.65,SD=0.40) and rural (M=2.75,SD=0.40), t= -3.097, p = 0.002.Finding on akhlaq towards al-Quran also showed a significant difference in the scores for city (M=2.87SD=0.35) and rural (M=2.94,SD=0.37), t = -2.433,p = 0.015.These results suggest that students, which their school located in the rural, had better internalization of akhlaq compare the students in the city had.

Discussion
Based on the calculation of the mean scores of the instrument, the samples should be categorized into three groups of internalization: low, moderate and high level.However, there were only two groups identified in this study, namely students with the high and moderate level of internalization of akhlaq.There were no samples that had low level of internalization of akhlaq.Only one construct had a high level of internalization i.e akhlaq towards Allah while the other two constructs; akhlaq towards al-Quran and The Prophet had a moderate level.The overall findings showed that the secondary school students in Selangor are moderate in their internalization of akhlaq.The finding also showed female students had internalized the akhlaq more than male students had.This finding is in line with the findings of Azhar Ahmad (2006) andSarimah et al. (2011).It was also found that rural students had better internalization of akhlaq compared to urban students had.
This finding conforms to the findings of the study conducted by the Ab.Halim and Khadijah (2003) and Mohd Shukri (2005) which showed that students believe learning Islamic moral values through Islamic Education is not just for examination and certification purposes.More importantly, they are also confident that the values are very beneficial and can be practiced in their daily life.Moreover, the Islamic Education teachers involved in the study by Ab. Halim (2007) also viewed that the school activities, religious activities and school rules have a positive impact and a significant contribution to the development of akhlaq among the students.
The Islamic Education Philosophy is an integrated and holistic philosophy that emphasizes and aims to gain an internalization of akhlaq in one's daily life.This goal was achieved as the findings of this study shows that students' had a high and moderate level of internalization.The item analysis for each construct also showed a higher mean score obtained in embracing the matters related to faith such as confidence in the authority of God and Prophecy.These findings indicate the students' high level of internalization of the fundamentals of Islamic faith which the students have learned either through informal or formal education.This finding is consistent with the findings by the Ab.Halim and Zarin's (2002) study in which majority of the respondents (70.3%) of the defined and associated the characteristics of one with akhlaq with the aspects of unity Uluhiyyah and related to God and moral characteristics of mahmudah (commendable).
However, in practice, it is found that there were several aspects that had moderate mean scores such as consistency in performing prayers and emulating the Prophet's morale.This conforms to the findings of a study that found that the overall appreciation of personal morality among secondary school students in Sarawak is moderate (Azhar, 2006).However, the study also found that a relatively low pattern of appreciation of some critical behaviours among secondary school students, such as the duty in performing the five daily prayers, social manners and aurat.
Another study by Ahmad Diniah (1995) also showed similar findings in relation to practices that are not obligatory (sunat) and preventing disobedience.The views and findings of the present study are consistent with these findings.Secondary school students seem to believe in the six pillars of faith but do not they bring forth in practice and behaviour.
The Integrated Islamic Education Curriculum for Secondary School Philosophy is founded on the unity of God doctrine that recognizes God as the Creator and that the message of Islam is a message on morality or akhlaq, which aims to create a generation who can live the life that can benefits others and the surroundings.Man is God's best creation and therefore should be devoted to God based on piety and his role as a caliph who has been entrusted to administer and manage God's creations.Man's perfection is not just his intellectuality alone.He should have knowledge, firm faith, and internalizes and practices the teachings of Islam and presents noble Islamic conducts.
The Ministry of Education's initiatives to strengthen the formation of moral values in students through Akhlaq and Adab Islamiyyah (AAI) in Islamic Education.It is hoped that through the teaching components of AAI, students could be developed to be capable of self-control that could retaliate them from negative influences.The teaching of morality in schools should emphasize on true understanding and internalization and not on cognitive aspects only.This is because, character building of a student depends more on the education received (Mat Zain and Mazlan, 1989).Insufficient religious education and student dissatisfaction have been identified as factors that resulted in poor character development among students.Individuals who are equipped with knowledge and moral integrity will contribute to the development and progress of the community and nation.Thus, in order to develop the country and improve the lives of the people, appreciation and moral integrity should be placed as a precondition for achieving sustainable development.As described by Tajul Ariffin and Nor 'Aini (2002), internalization of akhlaq in Islam is not just theoretical knowledge, but requires the norms of implementation and practical emphasis to shape man to be perfect and pious beings.The findings of this study has indirectly justified that the desire for human development in meeting the goals of the Islamic Education Philosophy has been achieved.However, greater efforts should be implemented so that students do not only study Islamic Education as a subject in school, but they should also need to appreciate and internalize the teachings in their daily lives.

Conclusion
The internalization of akhlaq in Islam is the goal of prophecy.A society that is built through moral education is said to be a noble and honourable society.Confidence and strong faith will help individuals to appreciate the character of a Muslim by obeying all the rules and prohibitions in Islam.Students who excel in Islamic Education are students who adhere to religious instruction and practice the values that are not divergent to Islamic teachings and are exemplary conduct.Therefore, students' excellence in Islamic Education should be associated with students' internalization of religious practice.

Table 1 .
Respondents' backgroundTable2below illustrates findings on the internalization of akhlaq towards Allah.Negative items (*) have been identified prior to the analysis as items that would gather students' true notion or understanding of the level of internalization of akhlaq towards Allah.The findings showed that of the total 21 items, 11 items were at a high level of internalization, while the remaining 10 items were moderate.The items are sequenced by the highest to the lowest mean values.

Table 3 .
Akhlaq towards RasulullahTable4below shows the analysis to answer questions on the internalization of akhlaq towards the Quran.The study shows that out of 11 items, five items have a high level of internalization with a mean score value exceeding 3.00.While the other six items have moderate mean score level.

Table 4 .
Akhlaq towards the Quran

Table 5 .
Overall finding 4.6 Gender and School Location Differences in the Internalization of Akhlaq

Table 6
below shows gender differences in the internalization of akhlaq among the respondents.

Table 6 .
Gender differences in the internalization of Akhlaq

Table 7 .
School location differences in the internalization of Akhlaq