The transformation of religious education preferences in the family: An intergenerational study (The case of Konya province)

Human beings are created in a way that enables them to be influenced by all kinds of change and development. Throughout world history, social, political, military, economic, and governmental transformations have led to marked shifts in how people view life and make sense of it, giving rise to generations that share similar characteristics, display similar behaviors, and think in broadly similar ways. The life perspectives of people belonging to the same generations are also reflected in the way they raise their children, in education in general and in religious education in particular. The value attributed to religious education, as well as the approaches and methods followed during the educational process, becomes meaningful and gains acceptance when it corresponds to the needs of the period. The subject of this study is to reveal the transformation in the religious education preferences of X and Y generation parents living in the Selçuklu district of Konya province. In this context, the differentiation between the religious education experiences of parents in their own childhood and their expectations regarding the religious education to be provided to their children, their evolving perceptions of trust toward individuals and institutions that provide religious education, and the ways they use digital sources to access religious information were examined together. The aim of this study is to investigate possible changes in the perspectives of families from different generations toward religious education, and the potential differences between the religious education they received and the religious education they provide to their children. Whether social and societal events cause changes in people's perspectives and how today's individuals meet their need for religious education are also among the main issues addressed in the research. The study was conducted face-to-face in the Selçuklu district of Konya province through semi-structured interviews with twenty participants. The findings indicate that X and Y generation parents consider receiving religious education necessary; that they received, within their families, a form of religious education that prioritized the practical performance of worship, whereas they desire for their children a type of religious education in which moral education is prioritized; that, as a result of events affecting society, parents have experienced a loss of trust toward institutions providing religious education; that they primarily consult people they trust when seeking religious information, while maintaining a distant attitude toward the internet. It was also found that participants do not consider the Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge (DKAB) courses provided at schools sufficient, that they expect individuals and institutions providing religious education to embody the values they teach through lived example, and that they want a religious language in educational practices that is affectionate, inclusive, and embracing.