The Role of the Family in Religious Education for the 14-15 Age Group: The Case of Sivas

Abstract

Adolescence is the period of transition of the individual from childhood to adulthood. In this process, the individual experiences a number of physiological, spiritual and mental changes. The most important of the changes experienced mentally is that the individual gains the ability to think abstractly. With the ability to think abstractly, the individual begins to perceive religious concepts that are abstract. At the same time, the conception of God in childhood acquires a spiritual dimension in this period. The religious attitudes and thoughts that the individual will have during adolescence leave deep traces in his life. More than one factor is effective in the process of religious development of the individual. The most important of these factors is the family environment the individual has been in since birth. In the research, the role of families in the religious education of young people in the 14-15 age group was discussed. The effect of religious education in the family and parents' religiosity on young people is discussed. The adolescence period, when religious values and thoughts begin to form, is also crucial in terms of religious education. In the study, the effect of families on young people in adolescence, which is considered a critical period in terms of the religious education of the individual, was investigated. During adolescence, the individual looks for people with whom he can identify in religious matters. For a healthy religious development to occur in young people, family members should be exemplary with their religious lives. In this direction, it is aimed to reveal the effect of religious education in the family, religious lives, and thoughts of parents on the religious development of young people. In the study, the effect of parents on the religious attitudes and behaviors of young people between the ages of 14-15 was examined by using a survey technique. The study was carried out with the participation of 309 high school students living in Sivas province who were educated in five different high schools in the 2021-2022 academic year. The data obtained through the questionnaire were uploaded to the SPSS package program by encoding. After giving information about the selection numbers and percentiles of the expressions in the survey, the chi-square test was applied to determine whether the demographic characteristics of the participants differed according to the expressions on the scale. The margin of error in the 95% confidence interval was examined as 0.05. As a result of the research, it was understood that families had an effect on the religious attitudes and behaviors of young people. It has been determined that the religious education given in the family affects the religious thoughts of young people. It has been observed that they have acquired most of the religious knowledge they have learned from their families. At the same time, it was determined that young people took their family members as an example in religious matters. Among the family members, it was determined that they took the mother as an example the most. In terms of gender, the participants did not differ from the people they took as role models in religious matters. It was determined that they discussed religious issues with their families and asked their family members what they were curious about this issue. It was seen that the people they asked the most questions about religious issues in the family were their mothers. When evaluated in terms of gender, it was understood that there was no difference between the people who asked questions about religious issues in the family. It has been found that parents' fulfillment of religious requirements has a positive effect on the religiosity of young people. As a result, it has been seen that the family factor is effective in the religious development processes of adolescents.