Turk Kulturu ve Haci Bektas Veli - Arastirma Dergisi, vol.2022, no.102, pp.253-272, 2022 (Scopus)
© 2022 Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University. All rights reserved.Austria is one of the countries where students can take Alevism education classes as an elective course in schools and where Alevism is legally recognized and accepted as a faith. Rights such as the ability of Alevi students to choose Alevism classes in schools, considering Alevis on leave during Alevi holidays, provided that it is written on their ID cards, the execution of funerals of Alevi individuals according to the Alevism tradition, the official acceptance of Alevism as a belief make Austria more prominent in terms of Alevism among other countries. Austria, which is one of the countries where the Muslim community gained the earliest rights in Europe, has broke the grounds in the process of recognizing Alevism as a faith, and has accepted Alevis as a religious community. It also recognized Alevism as a religious belief and secured the rights of Alevis with legal regulations in this regard. One of these rights and the most important one is undoubtedly Alevism religious education courses in schools. Alevism religious education courses are extremely important especially for Turkey. This situation brings up the demand of Alevis to give compulsory religion courses as an elective in our country or to teach Alevism as an elective course. The teaching of Alevism religious education courses in schools in Austria and the training of teachers who can teach these courses are carried out in accordance with Austrian laws and the protocols/agreements made by the Alevi community with relevant institutions. Although the selection and criteria of Alevism religious education classes in schools, the qualifications of the teachers who will teach the course, the teaching materials of the course have been determined and finalized with the directives, the Alevism religious education classes have not been fully on track due to the fact that the recognition process of Alevism in the country has taken place in the very recent past. In particular, the pedagogical evaluation of using the same book at every level as a course teaching material poses a problem and although necessary studies are being carried out on this subject, the desired results have not been achieved yet. This study seeks answers to the following questions: Is the ALEVI: Lehrwerk für den Alevitischen Religionsunterricht textbook suitable for the students’ level? Is the textbook suitable for the purpose of the lesson as a teaching material? Do the achievements in the textbook and the targeted behaviours overlap? When the textbook is examined as a religious education material, does it meet the necessary criteria? With this study, it is aimed to give the content of Alevism religious education courses offered in schools in Austria, to examine the textbook and to convey the process of public recognition of Alevis. The limitations of the Alevism religious education textbook and the suitability of its use as a course material will be examined in accordance with the criteria of examining the textbooks as teaching material.