Evaluation of middle school religion, ethics and values elective courses with students' opinions (The case of Elazığ province)

Educational institutions, like every institution, want to meet the needs and expectations of the time zone, the environment and society they address. It makes changes in itself from time to time. The closest example of this arrangement made in Turkey in the 2012-2013 academic year and is provided to give in addition to compulsory courses as electives. With this arrangement, students' interests, wishes and expectations were asked to be met. The aim of this research is to determine the students' views on the Life of the Prophet, the Basic Religious Information and the Holy Qur'an elective religion Lessons that started to be taught with the change made in 2012-2013. Evaluating these courses through the eyes of students who are the direct interlocutors, identifying the deficiencies of this practice, which can be considered as young, if any, can fill an important gap in terms of eliminating the negativities if possible. This research we conducted was prepared by using the descriptive survey model of the quantitative research method. The data were obtained using the survey technique. Analyzes were made with SPSS 21 program. The sample of the study was chosen on a voluntary basis. It consists of 570 students studying in 5 secondary schools selected from different educational regions of Elazig province and selected by simple random method. As a result of the research, the perspectives of the students on elective courses of religion, morals and values have been revealed. According to the findings we obtained, it was determined that the vast majority of students approached religion classes positively and had positive emotions. The most important factor for students to choose these courses is their own wishes. The vast majority of students find elective religion courses necessary. While choosing these courses, they think "It will enable me to get to know my religion better" and they generally find themselves successful in these courses. Again, according to the data of our study, it was understood that the students liked the teachers who gave this lesson and found the textbooks sufficient. Key Words: Religious Education, Middle Education, Religious Lessons in Schools, Life of the Prophet, Holy Quran, Basic Religious Knowledge