The idea of God among Maltese post-secondary school students

Abstract

My dissertation is about the idea of God among Maltese Post-Secondary School students. After I did the literature review on "Images of God", "Youth and Faith in God" and "Changing Values and God", I analysed one hundred letters to God that were written by the students for the purpose of this essay. I tried to make out if there was any evolution from two previous dissertations. Then I interpreted the findings in the light of the literature review and analysed how far do these letters reflect religious concepts in the syllabus (Matsec 'O' Level) and textbooks of Religion in forms IV and V of Secondary Schools. Finally I made some suggestions on the teaching of Religion in the Final forms of the Secondary School. A general finding was that youth have different images of God. This study also shows that one cannot make the generalization that young people are losing their religious faith. The students that participated showed that they believe in God by the way they talked to Him. The most common theme in the letters was that of gratitude towards God. Compared to the previous two dissertations, in my survey students wrote very little about social issues. As a prospective Religion teacher, this dissertation helped me to understand this category of students better. I hope that this study serves also as an aid to those who wish to work with young people.