1 `The Contents

Introduction

A.THE SUBJECT OF THE RESEARCH ....................... Error! Bookmark not defined. B.The purpose of the Research ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. C.The importance of the Research ................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. D.The Method used in the Research ................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. E.The Hyphothesis of the Research ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. F.The Scope of the Research ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. G.The Techniques employed for the Data Collection ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. H.Application of the Poll and Evaluation of the Poll ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. I. Literarture...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Chapter 1 Conceptual Principles of the Research A.The Definition of the Religion and the Kuran ............ Error! Bookmark not defined. B.The Introduction of the Koran itself ............................. Error! Bookmark not defined. C.The Style and Inner arrangement of the Kuran ........... Error! Bookmark not defined. D.The Content of the Koran ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. E.The Universality of the Koran ...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. F.The Koran and Science ................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. G.The Koran and Sunnah ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. H.The Importance of the Recitation and Understanding of the KuranError! Bookmark not defined. I. Possiblities and conditions of understanding of the KuranError! Bookmark not defined.

Chapter II The Characteristics of the Test Subjects Participated in the Poll A.Personal and Family Information of the Test Subjects Error! Bookmark not defined. B.Religious Stances and Religious Lives of The Test SubjectsError! Bookmark not defined. C.The Connections of the Test Subjects with the Koran Error! Bookmark not defined.

Chapter III The KoranUnderstandings of the Test Subjects A.The Test Subjects Understandings About the Definitions of the Koran and Korans goal Error! Bookmark not defined. B. The Test Subjects Understandings About The Contents of the Koran and its Wording Error! Bookmark not defined. C.The Comprehensions about being understood of the Koran and its practices in Daily Life Error! Bookmark not defined. D.The Comprehensions about the Effect of the Koran and the Comprehensions about its Impact Domain Error! Bookmark not defined.

Conclusions A The Family and Religious Structure of the Students Error! Bookmark not defined.

B.The Students Outlooks towards Koran ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined. C.Verification Degree of The Hyphothesis ..................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Conclusions
A. The Family and Religious Structure of the Students The evaluation of the poll was dispersed in a way that the comparative evaluation could be fulfilled. The poll was conducted in all high schools in Ankara and Duzce area. Whereas most of the students come from the families in which Koran is recited few or much, some of them come from families in which the worship and recitation of Koran is not a question at all. According to results, 85 % of the students, test subjects, coming from various levels of socio-economic and cultural background, belong to Sunni culture while 15 % of students are the members of the Alaoite culture. The 80 % of respondents have affirmative outlook about the religion (Islam). They also want to learn the religion better, care about religious education, want to recite the Koran and wonder the meaning of the Koran. B. The Students Outlooks towards the Koran In order to determine the right and wrong convictions of the students correctly, the subject was discussed under four captions. The students have very clear and right comprehension about the Koran. The Koran, according to the students, is a holy book which is composed of the divine orders and bans and with which the mankind can arrange their lives in line with Allahs consent. The prior reason why Koran was revealed is not for the recitation of it for the spirits of the death and remediation of illnesses (a common misconception in most of ignorant communities in Anatolia). On the contrary, the Koran was revealed for being understood by the people and practiced in daily lives of the people. Also, it is a holy text, in use up to

doomsday, to make mankind attain for the well-being both in this world and world to come. The students have misconceptions about the contents and wording of the Koran and have controversial information about it. For example, they were not exactly aware of the extent of the topics revealed by the Koran. Also, they thought that the worships in Islam were explained in detail in Koran. On the other hand, the students, thinking of that all information that mankind need is included in the Koran, they accepted the assumption that Koran is a narrative which is comprised of the faith, worship and ethics. The one of salient part of their belief about the Koran, which is right, was that the problem related to justice is explained in the Koran. While the students aware of the punishments corresponding to the crimes such as adultery, robbery and murder, the rights which should be taken care of in marriages and divorces ad sharing of the bequest; they were not cognizant about at what extent these topics were explained. The students had right convictions about the comprehension and practices of the Koran. According to them, not only imams but everybody could understand the Koran and everybody should spend some effort on it. They also agreed on the issue that the Koran could not be understood just reading the meaning of the Koran in translation but Sunnah and the reasons of revelation should also be taken into consideration. The students also shared the notion that Koran should be understood in accordance with necessities of that age nonetheless, they believed that there could be better scholars in the current century than past centuries but they found the idea dangerous, in which the interpretations and understandings in Islam, could be far away from the interpretations and understandings of the companions of the prophet Mohammed and prophet Mohammed himself. They also

thought that the application of Koranic rules and principles would bring lots of benefits to individuals and societies. They stated that the rules of the ethics in the Koran would bring bliss and ease as long as they practiced well and they indicated that the ethical principles in the Koran should be weighted on the curriculums of the courses of the Religious Culture and Ethics. With regard to the effect of the Koran, the students stated that they were affected by the Koran when they learned the meaning of verses. They added that they had been thinking that Koran could have some other effects and dimensions differentiating from its main and original message. At this point, Koran, according to the students, had been giving the ease and happiness and leaving a positive effect on human being even though they didnt understand meaning of the verses since the verses are in Arabic. They also indicated that even if the Koran is not recited, the conveyance of the Koran with themselves and to be kept in the vehicles and at houses provide a protection against troubles and misadventures. Nonetheless they admitted that the Koran was not in use for such aims. They believed that the edicts in the Koran were valid either partly or completely and the any sort of problems could be solved by the Koran C. Validation degree of the hypotheses To see at what extent the hypotheses were validated is important in aspect of understanding the results clearly. At this juncture, the hypotheses and conclusions are as following: 1) Hypothesis: The education system in Turkey affected the comprehension of the Koran, which is incongruous, and therefore, some deviations which are inappropriate to the reason of the Korans revelation took place on the students perceptions.

The hypothesis was partly validated. Most of the students have a true comprehension about the reason of the Korans revelation on the other hand there were some improper convictions over the subject. It is thought that the families are more influential in developing such misconceptions rather than education system. 2) Hypothesis: On the contrary to the positivist approach, Koran still continues to be important in solving the problems of the individuals and families, though they undergo some changes, and in forming the behaviors proper to them. This hypothesis was validated practically though not theoretically. Because; according to the students, when the verdicts in the Koran are practiced, the contemporary problems would be solved. 3) Hypothesis: the differentiation of the students Koran comprehensions can appear depending on social status, socio-economic status, socio-cultural status and religious sensitivity. This hypothesis was validated completely. Particularly, by the increase of the religious sensitivity of the families, the rate of the students having traditional comprehensions about Koran increased. While the definition of the Koran and its purposes. While the socio-economic status and socio-cultural status was not so effective, the variables in question about the Korans definition and purposes affected the results significantly. 4) Hypothesis : The tendencies of the high school students about the Koran is to count it as a holy and a beyond-reach book rather than accept it as guide book to be practiced, which arranges and orders individuals social and political life. Therefore, students attribute a passive role to the Koran instead of an active role in their lives.

This hypothesis was not validated since the Korans role was defined very well. The students have known the reason why the Koran was revealed and the purposes of the edicts and bans in the Koran which are directed towards individual and societys benefit. Nonetheless, they accepted that the Koran has a miraculous and divine dimension that makes it beyond reach. 5) Hypothesis: The students prefer to obtain the comprehension of the Koran by the hearsay or the smatter of information placed on the books. This hypothesis is partly validated. Because, even though the effect of personal endeavors such as the reading of the Koran in translation forms the students comprehension about the Koran, the effect of family discipline is greater than all other things. 6) Hypothesis: the teachings of the Koran concerning political and social life could not be affected on the students Koran comprehension since Islams values concerned with worship and ethics is emphasized by the teachers and books. No evidence was found to validate such a hypothesis. Furthermore, despite the fact that it is well known fact that the topics related to the ethics and worship is placed into the