Opinions of administrators, teachers and students on philosophy group courses in an imam hatip high school

This study was conducted to reveal the views of administrators, teachers, and students regarding philosophy group courses at an imam hatip high school. In other words, the research aimed to describe the perspectives of these stakeholders on philosophy group courses and, based on this understanding, to draw conclusions about how such courses could be taught more effectively to students. The study was designed to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges encountered in the teaching of philosophy group courses and to offer guidance for teachers, school administrators, and educational policymakers. The study employed a basic qualitative research design, which is one of the qualitative research methods. As part of the research, interviews were conducted with 26 students enrolled in an imam hatip high school in the province of Aksaray, as well as 7 teachers and 2 administrators working at the same school. The participants' views were collected using an interview form developed in accordance with expert opinions. The interviews were conducted face-to-face, recorded, and later transcribed into written documents. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using content analysis. The findings of the study indicated that, according to administrators and teachers, the philosophy group curriculum is overly dense and fails to meet student needs. It was suggested that the curriculum be simplified and that philosophy group courses be introduced at earlier stages of education. Teachers and administrators also reported that parents tend to have negative perceptions of philosophy group courses, which adversely affects students' course selection. To counter this, it was recommended that seminars be organized to help shift these negative perceptions toward a more positive outlook. Further recommendations included increasing the number of class hours allocated to philosophy group courses, making such courses compulsory, and conducting research in other types of schools.