An introduction to teaching religion and philosophy; A Study of the Variety of Questions and Answers by Girls and Boys Aged 12-13

The purpose of the present research is to study various questions and answers by girls and boys aged 12-13. This research was conducted in a qualitative paradigm. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews with 249 children who were chosen by systematic (purposive) method based on maximum variation sampling. For data analysis, comparative content analysis with a descriptive-interpretive approach was used and the unit of analysis was every single question and answer. The results showed that children ask many different questions in various fields of science; yet most of their questions are related to religion. Philosophy is also among the first 4 fields from which children ask questions. Their philosophical questions in that age group fall in ontology, metaphysics, epistemology, and religious philosophy. Analysis of their answers indicated that they were more independent in raising questions than answering them as they were more under the influence of contents written in their school books in their answers. In general, girls were more accurate in their answers, had better rhetorical techniques, used more explanations, and were more familiar with the concepts and themes of questions.