THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION AND FAMILY LIFE AND CHILD REARING ATTITUDES: A FIELD STUDY ON THE MUSLIM-TURKISH DIASPORA IN AUSTRALIA

Abstract

This article aims to examine the effects of religious orientation types on family life and child-rearing attitudes among Muslim-Turkish immigrant individuals residing in Australia, through a multidimensional perspective. Specifically, the study seeks to evaluate, through descriptive and comparative quantitative analyses, the relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations and various sub-dimensions of familial attitudes, including overprotective motherhood, democratic behavior and recognition of equality, rejection of the housewifery role, intra-family conflict, and strict discipline. Within this framework, empirical data were collected from a sample of Muslim-Turkish immigrants (n=569), diversified by age, gender, socio-economic status, marital status, educational level, occupational type, and length of diasporic residence, during a field study conducted in Australia in 2025. The data collection instruments included the "Personal Information Form," the "Age-Universal I-E Scale" and the "Family Life and Child-Rearing Attitudes Scale." Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software, employing parametric statistical techniques such as correlation analysis and independent samples t-test. The central hypothesis of the study — positing that intrinsic religious orientation would be positively associated with more favorable family life and child-rearing attitudes, while extrinsic religious orientation would correlate negatively with such attitudes — was statistically confirmed. The findings revealed that individuals with an intrinsic religious orientation scored higher on overprotective motherhood and democratic behavior dimensions, and lower on intra-family conflict and strict discipline dimensions. Conversely, extrinsic religious orientation was associated with more traditionalist, conflict-prone, and authoritarian family attitudes.

Keywords

• Psychology of religion
• Intrinsic religious orientation
• Extrinsic religious orientation
• Family life
• Child rearing attitudes

Dinsel Yönelim ile Aile Yaşamı ve Çocuk Yetiştirme Tutumları İlişkisi: Avustralyalı Müslüman-Türk Diasporası Üzerine Bir Saha Çalışması

Abstract

Bu makale, Avustralya’da yaşayan Müslüman-Türk göçmen bireylerin sahip oldukları dinsel yönelim biçimlerinin aile yaşamı ve çocuk yetiştirme tutumları üzerindeki etkilerini çok boyutlu bir bakış açısıyla incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Özellikle iç-güdümlü ve dış-güdümlü dinsel yönelimlerin, aşırı koruyucu annelik, demokratik davranma ve eşitlik tanıma, ev kadınlığı rolünü reddetme, aile içi çatışma ve sıkı disiplin gibi ailesel tutum alt boyutlarıyla ilişkilerini betimleyici ve karşılaştırmalı nicel analizlerle değerlendirmek, çalışmanın temel hedefini oluşturmaktadır. Bu kapsamda, 2025 yılında Avustralya’da yürütülen alan araştırmasında yaş, cinsiyet, sosyo-ekonomik düzey, medeni durum, eğitim düzeyi, meslek türü ve diasporik yaşam süresi bakımından çeşitlilik gösteren Müslüman-Türk göçmen örnekleminden (n= 569) elde edilen ampirik veriler kullanılmıştır. Veri toplama araçları olarak “Kişisel Bilgi Formu” ve “Her Yaş İçin Uygun Dinsel Eğilim Ölçeği” ile birlikte aile yaşamı ve çocuk yetiştirme tutumlarını ölçen “Aile Hayatı ve Çocuk Yetiştirme Tutumları Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen nicel veriler, SPSS 26.0 programıyla analiz edilerek korelasyon analizi ve bağımsız örneklem t-testi tekniklerinden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırmanın temel hipotezi olan "iç-güdümlü dinsel yönelim ile daha olumlu aile yaşamı ve çocuk yetiştirme tutumları arasında pozitif yönde; dış-güdümlü dinsel yönelim ile daha olumsuz aile yaşamı ve çocuk yetiştirme tutumları arasında negatif yönde anlamlı ilişkiler bulunmaktadır" varsayımı istatistiksel olarak doğrulanmıştır. Nicel bulgular, iç-güdümlü dinsel yönelime sahip göçmen bireylerin aşırı koruyucu annelik ve demokratik tutum boyutlarında daha yüksek puanlara, aile içi çatışma ve sıkı disiplin boyutlarında ise daha düşük puanlara sahip olduklarını ortaya koymuştur. Buna karşılık, dış-güdümlü dinsel yönelim biçiminin daha geleneksel, çatışmacı ve otoriter ailesel tutum eğilimleriyle ilişkili olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Keywords

• Din psikolojisi
• İç-güdümlü dinsel yönelim
• Dış-güdümlü dinsel yönelim
• Aile yaşamı
• Çocuk yetiştirme tutumu

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma, bilimsel etik ilkelere uyularak yapılmıştır. Bu çalışma için etik kurul izni, Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler İnsan Araştırmaları Etik Kurulu'nun 10.04.2025 tarihli ve 2025-07 numaralı kararı ile alınmıştır.

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