Parental Responsibility in Religious Education: The Role of Parents in Educating Children’s Religious Values

Abstract

Parental responsibility in religious education plays a crucial role in shaping children’s moral character and religious values, particularly amid contemporary social changes that increasingly influence family life and child development. As the family constitutes the primary educational environment, parents are expected to function not only as caregivers but also as educators who introduce, model, and internalize religious values in children’s daily lives. This study aims to examine the role and responsibility of parents in educating children’s religious values and to analyze how parental involvement contributes to children’s religious understanding and moral development. This research employs a qualitative descriptive approach, utilizing in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis as data collection techniques. The participants consist of parents and children from diverse family backgrounds, selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis is conducted through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing to ensure the credibility and validity of the findings. The findings indicate that parental responsibility in religious education is manifested through role modeling, habituation of religious practices, emotional guidance, and consistent moral supervision. Parents who actively integrate religious values into everyday interactions tend to foster stronger religious awareness, moral discipline, and tolerant attitudes in their children. Conversely, limited parental involvement often results in fragmented religious understanding and weaker internalization of values. The study also reveals that collaboration between parents and educational institutions significantly enhances the effectiveness of religious education. The implications of this study emphasize the importance of strengthening parental awareness and competence in religious education as a foundation for children’s character formation. Educational institutions and policymakers are encouraged to design programs that support parents in fulfilling their educational role, thereby ensuring that religious education functions as a sustainable and transformative process within the family and broader social context.