Cultivating Critical Thinking Skills in Secondary Education: Integrating Cultural Heritage Into Qatar’s Humanities Curriculum

Abstract

Integrating critical thinking into humanities education has become a global priority, yet implementing it within culturally and religiously embedded educational systems remains complex. In Qatar, where national education reforms strive to balance global academic competitiveness with Islamic and Arab identity, the challenge of fostering critical engagement without compromising cultural authenticity persists. This issue is not unique to Qatar; as R’boul et. al. note, “Islamic ethics provide a system of interculturality, social justice and rules of conduct that satisfy the underlying premises of intercultural education,” (2024, p. 201) underscoring how Western-oriented frameworks can create tensions when applied in non-Western contexts. As educational institutions in Qatar seek to modernize while preserving local traditions, values, and epistemologies, a growing need arises to develop pedagogical approaches that are both academically rigorous and grounded in Islamic epistemology. This study examines how critical thinking can be cultivated in Qatar’s humanities classrooms in a way that aligns with Islamic epistemology and cultural traditions. It aims to answer the following questions: What are the main challenges high school teachers face when integrating culturally rooted critical thinking strategies into their classrooms? What pedagogical strategies could be implemented to align Qatar’s public secondary education with the nation’s cultural values and global educational standards? As Qatar moves toward a knowledge-based economy, it is crucial to ensure that students develop critical reasoning skills while remaining connected to their cultural and religious heritage. By analyzing the current state of critical thinking in Qatar’s humanities education and identifying culturally grounded pedagogical methods, this study proposes viable strategies such as Ḥalaqah (dialogical learning), Munāẓarāt (structured debate) for fostering critical thinking in secondary education.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science