Abstract:

The present study examined the potential influence of Quran memorization, a type of cognitive activities, on learners. Data on Quran memorization ability, critical thinking, and proficiency in three languages were collected from 167 lower secondary school students who followed a dual curriculum in which a Quran memorization programme was integrated with the national school curriculum. The students were required to sit for a standardized critical thinking test and data on their performance in Quran memorization and language proficiency were obtained from their school authority. Results of the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation analysis indicated that all the variables studied significantly correlated at low to high levels. In addition, significant differences in mean scores were found for critical thinking and language proficiency across six Quran memorization ability groups. Large effect sizes were also computed for the differences in means scores for critical thinking, English language and Arabic indicating the practical importance of the differences in the scores across the memorization groups. The findings of this study lend support to the findings of studies in neuroscience on the possible positive influence of a certain type of cognitive activities on the brain cognitive power.

Keywords:

Cognitive activity, critical thinking, language proficiency, mentor-mentee programme, Quran memorization.