Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Exploring the meaning of religion in students’ daily life

Articles in Press

Document Type : Scientific Research Manuscript

Author
Omid Babaei
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
10.22035/jicr.2026.3568.3789
Abstract
The meaning of religion in daily life is a complex and multifaceted issue that has profound and widespread effects on human thoughts, behavior, and social relationships. The aim of the present study is to explore the meaning of religion in students’ daily life. This study was conducted using a qualitative method and a phenomenological approach. The participants in this study were eighteen students (male and female) from the Faculty of Literature and Humanities of Payam Noor University in the center of Shahrekord, who were selected through purposive sampling based on criteria and theoretical saturation. The data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews. The collage method was used to analyze the data, and two strategies, peer feedback and member control, were used to validate the research. After compiling a list of students’ important statements about the meaning of religion in everyday life, the main themes of the research – “Religion as an identity support in the storm of life’s changes”, “Religion as a meaning-giving element to the suffering and ambiguities of life”, “Religion as a comforting arm and a haven of existential relief”, “Religion as a moral compass in everyday desires”, “Religion as a personal and direct relationship with God” – were extracted and described. The results indicate that the experience manifested in this context represents religion as an interpretive system through which the student transforms the challenges arising from structural pressures and existential suffering of everyday life into a meaningful and bearable whole.
Keywords
lived experience
meaning of religion
students
everyday life
phenomenology
Subjects
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Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 13 July 2026

  • Receive Date 28 October 2025
  • Revise Date 03 July 2026
  • Accept Date 12 May 2026