Problems faced by families in the religious education of their children in secondary school (Antalya ili örneği)

The family, which is the most important building block of the society, is an irreplaceable institution with no alternative due to the functions it carries for the individual and the society. What makes the concept of family so important is that it carries the activities of protecting and educating the generation. The process of educating the generation begins in the family, and it is a reflection of the experiences in the family environment, such as how much the individual will develop and shape his hereditary characteristics. The realization of primary and basic learning in childhood increases the importance of education given in the family. In the light of this information, the aim of the research is to determine the problems faced by the families in the religious education of their secondary school children. From this point of view, the aim of the research is to reveal what parents do to support their children's religious development, to identify the issues that they feel inadequate and have difficulties, and to reveal their perspectives and expectations of the actors who are effective in giving religious education to their children. The literature review method was used in the preparation of the theoretical framework of the research. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 families on the subject and the obtained data were analyzed by content analysis. As a result of the research; It has been seen that parents attach great importance to every aspect of giving religious education to their children. It has been determined that the areas where families have difficulties in the religious education process of their children are focused on gaining the habit of worship, choosing friends, spending a lot of time on social media, and inadequate communication skills. One of the important findings of the study is that parents are aware of their responsibilities for their children's religious development, but they feel inadequate about what to do to support this development. Keywords: Religious Education, Family, Child, Secondary School, Communication