Abstract
M.A. (Educational Psychology)
A research team from the Department of Educational Sciences of the Rand Afrikaans University has recently engaged in a project to evaluate the concept "Adulthood". The aim with this project is to formulate guide-lines (directions) which could be used in the education of all children in South Africa.
Each member of the team has done research on a specific facet of adulthood. This scription focuses on religiousity as a facet of adulthood with the purpose of determining whether or not religiousity is essential for adulthood in a new South Africa.
Politicians, businessmen and teacher trainers were amongst the respondents asked to complete the questionnaire. The respondents were chosen to be as representative as possible of all groups and decision makers in South Africa.
The results of the empirical research show that in general a reasonably high premium is placed on religiousity as a facet of adulthood. Based on this fact one can recommend that the inclusion of religiousity in the curriculum of most schools in a new South Africa, should seriously be considered.
The following specific findings have been made:
- No significant differences have been found in the judging of religiousity as a facet of adulthood between men and women, married people and those with different marital statuses, lecturers at colleges and universities and between people of different age groups, family sizes and income groups.
The above mentioned groups all consider religiousity as a necessity for adulthood.
- However, significant differences have been detected in the views of the following: religious groups, language groups, trade groups, qualification groups and residential area groups. Groups of the Christian religion are positive about religiousity being a part of adulthood; other-believers are not as positive and unbelievers are entirely negative.
Afrikaans-speaking people feel much stronger about religiousity than English-speaking people and other languagegroups; the latter still being more positive than English-speaking people. People with mere standerd 10 certificates or even lower scholastic qualifications consider religiousity more important than better qualified people do. People living in rural areas are more positive towards religiousity as a facet of adulthood than suburban people and urban people. It is thus quite clear that the positive and negative attitudes towards religiousity of different groups, should be given attention before the practical implementation of religious education in schools can be considered.
To conclude: it is necessary to state that aspects such as devotion towards a religion, obtaining direction and goals from it, seeking knowledge about it and finding peace in it are aspects which must be emphasised.