Portrayal of Positive Psychological Capital in Quran

The present study aims at exploring positive psychological capital in the verses of Qur’an. Positive psychology is the latest advancement in the field of psychology which focuses on improving the well-being of society. Positive psychological capital refers to the combination of overall qualities of positive psychology that contributes to the well-being and mental health. The present study is based on the content analysis of the verses of Qur’an. Content analysis comprises of three steps including identifying the categories or themes, dividing the information into units or parts and finally rating all the themes in all units. In the first step the researchers identified 41 themes from Qur’an by using committee approach and reading the verses between the lines. All these categories were identified by keeping in view the underlying themes of positive psychology. In the second step 30 units were devised from Qur’an by considering each Part as a single unit. The categories included behavior modification, belief in divine help, brotherhood, bravery, contentment, civility, credibility, encouragement of virtue, emotional regulation, excellence, forgiveness, generosity, gratitude, honesty, hopefulness, humility, justice, knowledge, lawful spending, learning, meaningfulness, mindfulness, moderation, obedience, patience, peace, determination, positivity, prosperity, repentance, resilience, reward, self-actualization, self-awareness, self-control, sincerity, social leadership, truthfulness, trust, and wisdom. Results suggest that the most prominent category in Qur’an is the reward. Validity of the study was maintained through the selection of the themes with the help of committee approach. Reliability of the scoring system was maintained through partial inter-rater reliability. Overall the present research has many implications in the positive psychology of religion.    

A Study of Head Teachers Role in Managing Financial Resources

Financial resources play a significant role in meeting school needs, however, headteachers cannot manage these resources without adequate autonomy. Literature on school financial management reveals that delegation of responsibility and authority of managing financial resources to headteachers helps them to manage financial resources effectively in order to meet the school needs. The study aimed to explore and understand the existing practices of managing financial resources in the context of a private school in Pakistan with a particular focus on headteacher's role. Since the nature of study determines the research design and methodology, case study was used as the main method within the qualitative design. Different research techniques including interview, observation, videography, writing memos and reflective journal were used in order to gather relevant information for developing understanding about the headteacher's role in managing financial resources. The research findings reveal that the responsibility of allocating, utilizing and monitoring financial resources was delegated to the headteacher, which empowered her to match the financial resources with the educational needs of the school. However, headteacher's role in generating financial resources was not found to be significant, as it was the responsibility of the senior managers. The study also suggests that the headteacher faced challenges in maintaining balance between her academic and financial management roles. Accordingly, the study further proposes recommendations such as further devolution of authority and power to the headteacher, professional development of the stakeholders, involvement of the headteacher in generating financial resources and greater involvement of teachers and parents in managing the financial resources in order to manage the school effectively.