Predicting religious character: The role of parenting, spiritual intelligence, and intrinsic motivation

Abstract

This study explores how family parenting styles, spiritual intelligence, and intrinsic religious motivation influence the religious character of junior high school students in Bali, Indonesia, in response to growing concerns over adolescents’ moral development amid digital-era challenges. Using a quantitative correlational approach, data were collected from 177 seventh-grade students selected through random sampling. Validated instruments with strong reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.864) measured democratic parenting, spiritual intelligence, intrinsic religious motivation, and students’ religious character. Data analysis using Pearson correlation and multiple regression revealed that all three variables were significantly and positively related to religious character. Intrinsic religious motivation emerged as the most influential predictor (β = 0.334), followed by spiritual intelligence (β = 0.277) and parenting styles (β = 0.235), together explaining 52.1% of the variance in students’ religious character (R² = 0.521). These findings suggest that both external factors (such as parenting practices) and internal dispositions (such as spiritual and motivational factors) play vital roles in shaping students’ religious values and behaviors. The study concludes that strengthening adolescents’ intrinsic motivation and spiritual awareness, alongside supportive family environments, is essential for fostering religious character. The results offer practical implications for designing character education programs that actively involve parents and promote students’ inner development to address contemporary moral challenges.