Evaluation of secondary education Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge program according to teacher views

Education is an indispensable element in human life for the transmission of religious, moral, and cultural values to future generations. The role of education is to ensure that individuals in society are educated and developed in all aspects. Therefore, changing life conditions make it necessary for the curricula in the education process to meet the current needs. The aim of this research is to examine the opinions of teachers regarding the updated secondary school Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge (RCMK) curriculum. The research was conducted in a total of 49 high schools located on both the Anatolian and European sides of Istanbul. A total of 122 RCMK teachers, including 84 women and 38 men, participated in the study. In the visited high schools, a survey form consisting of 5 sections was answered by the RCMK teachers. To analyze the research data, the SPSS program was used, and Cronbach's Alpha, percentage, and frequency analyses were conducted. According to the analyses of the obtained data, it was observed that teachers have different opinions regarding the current secondary school RCMK curriculum. According to the teachers' responses, the onjectives and content of the program are prepared in accordance with the students' levels. It was indicated that the assessment and evaluation activities in the program are sufficient to measure students' cognitive and affective domain levels. However, it was also stated that the course topics are not prepared in a way that would attract students' interest and meet their needs in religious matters. The participating teachers concluded that the RCMK curriculum needs to be largely restructured.