Qualitative Study of Religiosity as a Field of Value Negotiation: An Analysis of Lived Experience of Female Students Based on Schwartz's Theory of Basic Values (Case Study: Islamic Azad University, Isfahan Branch)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Islamic Education, Farhangian University, P.O. Box 14665-889, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor (Full Professor) and Faculty Member of the University of Isfahan

10.30471/soci.2026.11943.2175

Abstract

Today, the inner dialectic of the younger generation with tradition and modernity constructs a complex picture of their religiosity and its relationship to life choices. University students strive to shape their religious and personal identities consciously and autonomously; thus, the nature of their religiosity and its tension with lifestyle constitute a significant arena for identifying generational cleavages and rethinking programs aimed at promoting religious commitment. In this study, drawing on Schwartz’s theory of basic human values, the relationship between lived religiosity and life choices was examined in a sample of students at the Islamic Azad University, Isfahan Branch. The research employed a thematic analysis approach based on twelve semi‑structured interview questions administered to more than 200 undergraduate students. Inductive coding of the data led to the extraction of basic themes, which were then organized according to the ten value dimensions proposed by Schwartz, ultimately yielding seven overarching themes (self‑transcendence, affect‑centered spirituality, conservation of tradition, pragmatic negotiation, openness to change, self‑enhancement, and resistance to social appropriation). The findings indicate that: (1) religiosity in students’ narratives is closely linked to self‑transcendence and to moral and spiritual foundations; (2) a structural tension exists between the value systems of conservation and openness to change; (3) the dominant strategy is the pursuit of balance and creative synthesis through “personal negotiation”; and (4) a tendency toward self‑enhancement and resistance to external control underlies these strategies. Accordingly, for the contemporary student generation, religiosity represents an active project of adaptive reconciliation among competing value systems.

Keywords

Journal of Islam and Social Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 May 2026

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