Methodological Examination of Spiritual Education Studies in Iran

Introduction and Objectives: Following the introduction of “spiritual education” into Iran in recent decades, this subject has garnered significant attention from researchers across various disciplines. Reflection in this area reveals that although considerable research in dissertations, theses, papers, and books has been conducted and published on spiritual education, only a few have addressed this topic methodically and deeply; thus, they have substantial contributions to make. The methodological element is the most crucial factor in the effectiveness of research. Therefore, a precise and critical examination of spiritual education research from a methodological perspective is necessary. This allows for a critical reflection on the path taken over the past two decades and, by addressing deficiencies in subsequent research, provides more scientific, accurate, and authentic content for those involved in spiritual education. This study was conducted with this objective in mind. This study examines the methodology of spiritual education studies in Iran with a critical approach.
Method: The approach of this study was critical and analytical. 90 published and accessible studies from 2006 to 2021, in the form of theses, dissertations, and reputable domestic papers on spiritual education, were examined considering the necessities and standards of research methodology. The research question was what methodological deficiencies the works on spiritual education in Iran have.
Findings: The identified methodological deficiencies in the studies of spiritual education in Iran are as follows: lack of conceptual distinction (between spiritual education, religious education, moral education, and mystical education), neglect of foundational discussions (such as the absence of a theoretical framework and theoretical basis, lack of definition of key research concepts), incoherence between theoretical and practical research (a kind of incoherence between theoretical and practical discussions; whereas, to theorize in spiritual education, it is necessary to first clarify its theoretical discussions and then go on to practical discussions), shortage of multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research (and reliance on a one-dimensional perspective), non-specialized entry (in some studies titled "spiritual education" conducted by specialists other than educational science specialists, terms like "educational methods," "educational principles," "educational foundations," and similar terms, which are entirely specialized, are not used accurately and appropriately because the researcher does not have sufficient theoretical sensitivity and scientific expertise in this area), uncertainty in the level of localization (uncertainty in how to use Islamic and Western sources, unmethodical combination of Islamic and Western spirituality, and not paying attention to Islamic authenticity, taking the "what" of spiritual education from the works of Western thinkers and the "how" from Islamic sources, combining Western and Islamic definitions without a clear and authentic stance, eclecticism in strategies and educational methods, using Western criteria, scales, and questionnaires of spiritual education in Islamic-Iranian research, adopting the framework and components of spiritual education from Western theories and then replacing the content with religious sources), neglect of problem-centricity (being topic-centric and neglecting issues), superficial research without deep analysis (simplifying something that is not inherently simple and has various dimensions and layers, haste and lack of skill in analysis), lack of coherence and scattered writing (not having a clear scenario for research and not following an appropriate research approach and method, and sometimes having no research method at all in some spiritual education studies), lack of methodological rigor in comparative and critical studies, and finally, lack of attention to research ethics in some studies (sometimes mentioning content without citing the original source).
Discussion and Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it is essential to prepare a comprehensive project for this relatively new research field and to design and refine models of multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration in spiritual education studies in our country.
Acknowledgments: This study was supported by the Research Institute of Hawza and University. This support is Hereby acknowledged.
Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest in this paper.