Basic approaches to preschool education and religious education

The goal of this study is to evaluate the role, the worth, and the extent of religious education among the. basic approaches in preschool education. This period, which covers the ages between 0-6 and where the development is mostly completed, is important from the aspect of shaping the personal characteristics of the child as well as improving his or her abilities. There are two different opinions regarding the place of religious education in this period. According to the one, it is a necessity rather than being a choice and according to the other, it is not suitable for the child development. The view, which states that the religious education should not be a part of the preschool education, is based on the idea that children are not capable of understanding the abstract concepts. When the approaches to preschool education are analysed, it will be seen that religious education is featured in that of Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Waldorf. These approaches all aim towards a holistic development and are based on the fact that a human consists of both the physical body and the spiritual soul. However, it is emphasized that the religious education should be conducted by building an environment that enable learning by doing and living, rather than just catechizing. Moreover, Montessori and Steiner indicate that the religious tendency is innate and has a special role in the spiritual development of children. Studies on preschool education in our country were initiated in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, in parallel with the western world, as a means of following the progress in west and translating the publications into Turkish. The first program regarding to this subject was prepared in 1914 and the executions were initiated following the completion of the legislative regulation in 1915. However, a satisfactory progress has not been made in the following years until 1960s due to the wars and giving a priority to other subjects in education. With the programs prepared and the legislative regulations made, preschool education has come up again after this date, as well as the place of religious education in preschool education, and considerable steps have been taken. In addition to the private schools teaching religious education, there are Quran training centers, which serve children of age 4-6, owned by Presidency of Religious Affairs. From now onwards, it will be required to fully utilize the scientific deposit while planning the next step in preschool education.