The relationship between parental attitudes and perception of god: A study on international imam-hatip high school students

Family relationships constitute the most significant environment in which the foundations of individuals' religion, value systems, beliefs, and behaviors are laid. International Imam Hatip high school students represent a group of students who belong to different cultures and hold diverse religious values, and who, at the same time, engage in interaction by incorporating these values into the Turkish religious education system. In this context, as children of families with different cultural backgrounds, the extent to which parental attitudes are reflected in these individuals' perceptions of God and levels of religiosity may be an important factor in the differentiation of religious perceptions within society. This study aims to understand how these effects are manifested particularly among international students. The research adopted a quantitative research method, examining the relationship between parental attitudes and students' perceptions of God as well as religiosity in its sub-dimensions of belief, worship, and social life. The sample of the study consisted of 296 foreign female high school students studying in Istanbul and Ankara. Data were collected through the Parental Attitude Scale, the God Image Scale, and the Religiosity Scale. Since the data were not homogeneous and did not show a normal distribution, non-parametric tests including the Kruskal-Wallis H Test, the Mann-Whitney U Test, and the Spearman Correlation Test were conducted using the SPSS-26 program. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis was applied in order to observe the relationships among the variables. The results revealed that international Imam Hatip high school students demonstrated a very high level in the belief sub-dimension of religiosity, while they showed a moderate level in the worship and social life sub-dimensions. It was found that individuals with overprotective parental attitudes did not display a statistically significant positive or negative relationship with the sub-dimensions of religiosity or with perceptions of God. However, individuals whose parents exhibited emotionally warm attitudes showed a positive relationship with the belief, worship, and social life sub-dimensions of religiosity, as well as a love-oriented perception of God. Conversely, individuals with rejecting parental attitudes were found to be negatively associated with the belief, worship, and social life dimensions of religiosity, and such attitudes contributed to the development of a fear- and punishment-oriented perception of God.