Validation of the Thinking-Centered Leadership Model in Teaching Islamic Studies Courses at Iraqi Universities

Abstract

In the contemporary educational context of Iraq, the teaching of Islamic Studies courses faces the challenge of moving beyond mere rote memorization toward deeper reflection and critical inquiry. The thinking-centered leadership model can play a pivotal role in facilitating this transformation and in converting the classroom into a space for collective reasoning and critical dialogue. Accordingly, the objective of the present study was to validate a thinking-centered leadership model for teaching Islamic Studies courses at Iraqi universities. This study was applied in terms of purpose and quantitative in terms of implementation, employing structural equation modeling. The statistical population in the quantitative phase consisted of faculty members teaching Islamic Studies at Iraqi universities. A total of 306 faculty members were selected through non-probability convenience sampling. The research instrument was a researcher-developed questionnaire. Content validity was confirmed by subject-matter experts, and structural equation modeling using AMOS was employed to assess model validity. The measurement instrument was tested through structural equation modeling analysis. First-order confirmatory factor analysis categorized the model into 13 selective codes, 41 axial codes, and 177 initial concepts. Second-order confirmatory factor analysis further indicated that the 13 extracted factors possessed adequate factor loadings for predicting the validation model and ensuring the robustness of the thinking-centered leadership framework in teaching Islamic Studies courses at Iraqi universities. In addition, the goodness-of-fit indices—CMIN/DF = 1.378, RMSEA = 0.0961, GFI = 0.934, AGFI = 0.945, CFI = 0.918, NNFI = 0.950, TLI = 0.963, IFI = 0.938, and RFI = 0.945—demonstrated that the designed and validated model exhibits excellent fit for the validation and assurance of the thinking-centered leadership model in teaching Islamic Studies courses at Iraqi universities. Implementing the thinking-centered leadership model not only produces a fundamental transformation in the quality of Islamic Studies instruction but also converts the classroom into a workshop for cultivating thought, thereby educating a generation capable of analysis, critique, and deep understanding of religious concepts. This model offers a practical response to Iraq’s urgent contemporary need to cultivate Islamic thinkers rather than mere memorizers of texts.