PARENTING AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD : A META-ETHNOGRAPHIC SYNERGY OF ISLAMIC AND WESTERN PARENTING GUIDELINES FOR MUSLIM PARENTS

Abstract

Parenting, being a pivotal factor in child development, has a profound impact on the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional outcomes. The current integrative-synergistic and interpretive study builds upon the qualitative research approach to investigate parenting during middle childhood.
The objectives that shaped the current study were: to examine the middle childhood characteristics in light of Islamic and Contemporary Western research, to pinpoint the key parenting principles for this critical age period, to produce developmental milestones of the target age group through blended Islamic and Western frameworks, and to suggest practical, milestone-based activities to support holistic development.
In order to achieve the mentioned objectives, the study employed two qualitative research models: qualitative historical synthesis and qualitative meta-ethnographic model of Noblit & Hare (1988) to analyze and blend collected data into a holistic development framework for Muslim parents in Muslim countries. By blending the Islamic perspective of Tarbiyah (holistic development training) and Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah (objectives of Islamic law) with contemporary Western parenting perspectives, the research incorporates Islamic teachings and Western pro-Islamic modern parenting frameworks into modern blended parenting guidelines for Muslim parents.
Key findings of the study underline the pivotal role of parenting in shaping cognitive, physical, spiritual, and socio-emotional development while responding to challenges faced by Muslim children. The study guides towards Muslim Parenting Outcomes (MPOs), detailing milestones for fostering moral integrity, resilience, and emotional intelligence during the middle childhood stage. Through the combination of two qualitative methods, the study presents a comprehensive analysis and synthesis to generate concrete strategies.
The study advances parenting education, curriculum design, and policy formulation by providing a unified model to bridge home and educational settings. The research enables parents, policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders to cultivate well-adjusted, balanced, morally grounded, and skilled individuals to meet the demands of today’s complex and changing society.