A Qualitative Study on University Students' Process of Acquiring Religious Knowledge from Virtual Environments Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Sanal Ortamlardan Dinî Bilgi Edinme Sürecine Yönelik Nitel Bir Araştırma
Mutefekkir, cilt.13, sa.25, ss.219-241, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 13 Sayı: 25
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.30523/mutefekkir.1871129
- Dergi Adı: Mutefekkir
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, ATLA Religion Database, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, MLA International Bibliography, Social Sciences Abstracts, Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.219-241
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Digital Tools, Religious Education, Religious Knowledge, University Students, Virtual Environment
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study aims to examine university students' views on religious knowledge acquired from virtual environments using a qualitative approach. Designed as a case study, the data were collected from 27 undergraduate students majoring in social sciences at Akdeniz University using a semi-structured interview form; the interviews were conducted face-to-face and online by the researchers. The collected data were analyzed using the MaxQDA 2024 qualitative data analysis program. The study found that participants spent most of their time in the virtual world in the “5 hours and above” subcode; they used digital media for education/information, socializing/communication, following current events, entertainment/relaxation, self-promotion, and professional purposes. It was found that university students spent between “30 minutes and 1 hour” on religious content in the virtual environment and were generally interested in posts related to faith, worship, and morality. Additionally, it was concluded that students use internet browsers, YouTube, Instagram, X platform (Twitter), TikTok, and generative artificial intelligence applications to obtain religious information from digital platforms. Participants in the working group also stated that in their search for religious information, they follow specific individuals, pages, and websites through the aforementioned digital platforms. It was determined that participants adopted a positive attitude towards religious content on virtual platforms for reasons such as its ability to strengthen spirituality and provide information; conversely, they adopted a negative attitude due to reasons such as its potential to alienate people from religion, lack of objectivity, and causing religious exploitation. The research findings indicate that participants do not use virtual environments solely for socialising, but that digital tools serve as aids in students’ religious learning processes. To support young people’s learning in this area, a dynamic application could be developed where official bodies act in a supervisory role and experts create religious content.