Character Formation and Higher-Order Thinking in Pakistan’s Primary-Level SNC Islamiyat Curriculum

Abstract

This study examines how Pakistan’s primary-level Single National Curriculum (SNC) for Islamiyat develops character formation and higher-order thinking across Grades I–V. Using qualitative content analysis, the study analyses the official curriculum structure, standards, benchmarks, Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), suggested activities, Qur’an and Hadith requirements, teacher guidance and assessment provisions. The findings identify 105 distinct named subthemes and a clear increase in curricular breadth from 13 subthemes in Grade I to 28 in Grades IV and V. Character formation also becomes progressively more social and applied: 73 of 105 explicitly behaviour-oriented SLO statements (69.5%) occur in Grades IV–V, with increasing emphasis on trustworthiness, social responsibility, resource use, safety and environmental care. Developmental progression is strongest in sacred-text sequencing, while Grade III emerges as the most abrupt transition point in content and cognitive demand. Higher-order thinking is present but uneven: explanation, distinction, consequence analysis, application and moral judgment are concentrated mainly in character, social and contemporary strands, whereas recitation and memorisation remain central throughout. The study concludes that SNC Islamiyat provides a coherent foundation for knowledge–character integration, but cognitive progression and assessment specificity remain less consistent than curricular expansion.

Keywords: Single National Curriculum (SNC); Islamiyat Education; Character Formation; Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS); Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs); Curriculum Progression