Investigation of the Preference Reasons, Expectation and Vocational Preparation Motivation of the Students Studying in the High Religion Education Institutions in TRNC

The two institutions providing higher religion education in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are Near East University Faculty of Theology and Cyprus Social Sciences University Faculty of Religious Sciences. This research was carried out to determine the reasons for the preference of students studying in these two faculties, and to determine their opinions about the education they received to prepare themselves for teaching and religious professions. 82 senior students from both faculties participated in this qualitative research. The research was carried out in 2020. According to the results of the research, the reasons such as “learning religion correctly, explaining to the environment”, which can be qualified as internal motivation sources, are among the primary reasons for students' preference to theology/religious sciences faculties. The most important factor in choosing TRNC was determined, as "the score they got in university exams is sufficient here". The students, who stated that the education they received at the faculty for four years met their expectations largely, stated that “being a specialist in the field of academician” as the most important factor affecting their expectations. The vast majority of graduate candidates feel themselves adequately prepared for teaching and religious profession. The students, who stated that the teaching profession courses had a great contribution for their teaching self-efficacy, stated that the inadequacy of the Holy Qur'an lesson hours and the lack of opportunity to practice in mosques were an important obstacle for religious self-efficacy.