Objective: In recent decades, the intergenerational gap has emerged as a major cultural, educational, and social challenge in Islamic societies, including Iran. This gap—particularly in relation to adolescents’ adherence to the Islamic lifestyle model—has led to consequences such as identity crises, weakening of values, and shifts in religious life patterns. The present study analyzes the dimensions of the intergenerational gap and explain its role in shaping students’ commitment to the model of Islamic lifestyle.
Method: This qualitative study employed a grounded-theory method. The research population included principals, educational and counseling deputies, school counselors, and theology teachers from boys’ and girls’ high schools in Azadshahr. Participants were selected through purposive criterion-based sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with 12 participants and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. To ensure validity and reliability, Guba and Lincoln’s criteria were applied.
Findings: The study identified several core categories: transformation of religious attitudes and intellectual independence, shifts in authority and trust, changes in value systems and critical analysis, conflict between tradition and modernity, inefficacy of religious education, family conflicts, and lifestyle changes. Causal conditions included the weakened role of the family in moral education and adolescents’ susceptibility to modern media. Intervening conditions involved the disruption of the school’s educational role and the dominance of virtual spaces over adolescents’ value systems. Contextual conditions included the educational system’s inability to adapt to generational changes, adolescent identity crises, and breakdowns in intergenerational dialogue. Strategic responses encompassed reforming religious education, strengthening the family’s role, fostering intergenerational dialogue, and leveraging student participation. Consequences included diminished trust in traditional institutions, identity confusion among adolescents, transformation in religiosity and values, and psychological and social repercussions.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that addressing the intergenerational gap in religious education requires a novel, multidimensional, and culturally grounded approach. Revising educational policies, empowering families, designing religious content tailored to generational needs, and strengthening the role of indigenous media are among the key recommendations for enhancing religiosity and rebuilding generational bonds. |
