RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AS A FACTOR IN THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS AND MORAL VALUES IN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

The article examines religious education as a factor associated with the development of adolescents’ religious understandings, moral values, and moral self-regulation. The purpose is to clarify the conditions under which religious and moral education can support value identity, responsible autonomy, and conscious moral choice without being reduced to external control. Adolescent religiosity is shown to change together with self-awareness, relationships with significant adults, peer influence, and the digital environment. The study’s contribution is an integrative model comprising four interrelated mechanisms: meaningful understanding of norms, emotional and trust-based internalisation of values, behavioural self-regulation, and responsible autonomy. Particular attention is given to Kazakhstan, where religious identity develops within a secular legal order and therefore requires a clear distinction between religious-moral reasoning and legal norms. Sustainable educational influence is associated with reasoned explanation, respectful interaction, consistent adult example, and opportunities for independent moral choice. Questions of bodily maturation and sexuality are framed through dignity, personal boundaries, and responsibility, excluding any normative endorsement of early marriage. The article concludes that the effectiveness of religious education depends primarily on the quality of adolescents’ internal acceptance of values and their capacity to connect personal freedom with responsibility.