Exploring Muslim pre-schoolers’ religious self-identity, moral values and reasoning: a case study in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This is an exploratory qualitative research that aims to explore Muslim pre-schoolers’ development of religious self-identity and moral values and reasoning for behavioral conformity. Based on Bowlby’s theory of attachment (1971), both infants and mothers need to stay in constant contact with each other. Children who did not experience warm and continuing attachment would fail to develop healthy relationships when they get older. If these biological needs were not met, not only emotional but also intellectual problems in adulthood might occur. The Informants involved two Muslim Malaysian children – a boy and a girl, both aged five years old. They were selected by their classroom teacher in a public preschool. The research setting was a classroom setting. The research applied in-depth, semi-structured interview protocols as a method of collecting data based on several pictures related to Muslim religious practices and moral behaviors. From the study, it was found that the two pre-schoolers have developed the rudiments of religious self-identity, sense of moral values and conform to Kohlberg’s first stage of moral judgement, which is to act due to fear of getting punished and not wanting to displease adults, especially their parents. There is not much research done on the development of self-identity in young Muslim children in Malaysia, specifically for children aged five years old. This research would assist teachers, parent, and caregivers in guiding young children to shape their identity and acquire good Muslim characteristics. Understanding the reasons for children’s conformity would also be achieved in this research