The role of the family in the spiritual development and education of the child

The aim of this study is to examine the role of the family in the spiritual development and education of the child. This research was designed in a qualitative method. In the study, a case study was adopted as a design and snowball sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling types, was used. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form with 30 families living in Çorum Central District with different demographic characteristics, at least one child who is a student in kindergarten-primary or secondary school. At the end of the analyzes made by the descriptive analysis method; It has been observed that there are two basic views on spirituality. The first of these is the view that universal values of spirituality (love, respect, tolerance, morality, intelligence, conscience, compassion, etc.) are prioritized. The second view is that although spirituality is universal values, this can only be done through religious education. In the research, it was seen that all families attach importance to the fact that the spiritual education of the child starts in the family. Only one family in the study did not use any religious concepts about spirituality. It was observed that the other 29 families agreed that religious values should be supported by teachers trained as experts in the field. It has been observed that families have different views about the authority of the Ministry of National Education or religious and private institutions in terms of supporting spiritual education. We evaluated our research from the perspective of Religious Education from the perspective of the majority. According to the average age of the parents participating in the study, it was observed that the parents who were younger interacted with their children more at the point of communication than the older parents. It has been observed that this reflects positively on the spiritual development of the child. In the research, it was seen that families who thought that their children were spiritually deficient held the Ministry of National Education responsible. In the study, it was determined that educator families paid more attention to the spiritual education of their children than families in other occupational groups. In the study, it was observed that families who read books used effective expressions to express their sensitivities about the spiritual development and education of the child. As a result of the research, it was observed that all families had the idea that the child's spiritual education should start in the family, that this education was reflected in the child's state and movements, and that the child's spiritual structure developed depending on his perception and age.